Blood and Rose Thorns
by majickworks85
Summary: Squall is a vampire who doesn't want to be a vampire and he works for vampire hunters. Rinoa is a White Sorceress. Vampires and Sorceresses don't mix well, but they break the rules. rated T for violence, language, sexual content. On Hold for now
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. This is my first fanfic to be putting on so please be nice. Read and review.**

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The young boy's name was Squall Leonhart Loire. He was a very bright but quiet ten-year-old boy. He was at the top of his grade and was liked by everyone, even though he hardly said a word. He loved to smile though. Whenever someone would say hello to him, he would smile shyly and hide his face in his mother's skirt. His father, Laguna Loire would laugh and say hello for him.  
His mother, Raine Leonhart Loire was born in the little town called Winhill. It was sunny and warm town. There wasn't very much publicity there except they have the most beautiful flowers in the world. Raine was the daughter of the Mayor, Clark Leonhart. She not only owned the pub, but she owned the most successful flower shop. She would sell her flowers to all over the world.  
Her older sister, River Leonhart married a scientist named Garrett and they had their daughter, Ellone. The three lived next to Raine. Then a handsome stranger by the name of Laguna Loire waltzed into town doing an article on Winhill's greatest festivity, The Spring Fling Festival, where they celebrated the day Winhill was founded. A man called Marius Winhill built it in the spring. He was a great but mysterious man until he died mysteriously. When Laguna first met Raine, they hit it off very well. They started off as friends, which soon turned into a romantic relationship. When Raine ended up pregnant with Laguna's baby, they married. And thus, their son was born.

They lived happily together with River and Garret next door. Squall would always play with Ellone. They were fast friends and they always looked after one another. No one ever saw them not together. Then a strange new man arrived in town, living in the mansion not far from the flower shop. No one knew anything about him or hardly ever seen him. He never really came out of his house. And then, River and Garrett died. Only did the man come out his house.

* * *

It was a very dark and cloudy day. The wind was unbelievable. It was blowing up some of the flowers and people were starting to worry about the fields. Shutters were banging against the windows and the sides of the houses. Thunder and lightning were practically tearing at each other in the sky. The sun couldn't shine through the thick clouds.  
Business was slow that day for Raine. Not many people were wandering the streets because of the storm. In fact, if anyone were smart, they wouldn't. Raine was making supper for the children; her eyes were still red from crying since the death of her sister and brother in law from three days before. Laguna was writing in his notebook, as always. Squall and Ellone were playing together in the foyer. They were trying to ignore the sounds of the storm.

Suddenly the door opened and in walked the most unlikely person. Squall knew right away that the man was different when he had first seen him. There was just that strange feeling about him. And Ellone didn't like it.

The man was tall and fair looking. He was about Laguna's age, close to his thirties. He wore black cloths with a black cloth trench coat. A wide brimmed hat was on his head protecting him from the rain and wind. The collar of his coat was pulled up shielding his neck and face. He had slightly pale skin, looking like he hadn't seen the sun for a few months now. His fair, dark brown hair was pulled back into a small ponytail. He looked almost aristocratic. And his eyes were a pale dying blue color.

When he had entered the pub, the first thing he did was look right at Squall. A ghost of a smile printed on his face. The man stood at the door brushing drops of rain off his coat before he smiled towards Raine and Laguna, who were both watching him. He gave them a nod of a greeting.

"Hello. Nice day, huh?" He asked with a tease in his voice.

Raine and Laguna both cracked smiles and nodded. "Very nice indeed. What can we do for you, stranger?" He asked closing his notebook and standing.

The man took off his hat and shook the drops of rain off. "Actually, I'm Marius. I'm the new neighbor that no one has seen yet."

Interest sparked up in Laguna's eyes as he stood. "Ah, so you're the one who everyone has been telling rumors about. You've been living in Winhill for about a month now yet you haven't ever came out of your home."

Marius nodded. "That'd be me, sir."

Raine tilted her head to the side, looking curious indeed. "What brings you out of your home on day like this, may I ask?"

Marius nodded. "Actually I heard about your sister and her husband. I came to pay my respects to you, Miss Leonhart. I knew her at one time." He said. Raine shook her head. "It's actually Mrs. Loire now." She looked to Laguna. "I have been married for about ten years now. This is my husband, Laguna." She said placing her hand gently on Laguna's arm. Marius nodded. "Ah, yes. I have forgotten. Forgive me."

Laguna just shrugged off the apology. "Don't worry about it. We thank you for your care and consideration though."

Marius just smiled before looking at Squall and Ellone. "My, such charming children. Do they belong to you?" He asked looking back at the two parents. Raine smiled and nodded. "Yes. That's our son, Squall and our niece, Ellone." She spoke. Marius smiled at the two children before bending down in front of them. Ellone frowned and backed away from him. She didn't like him at all. She even pulled Squall back too, who looked at her in confusion. Marius laughed. "Quite the shy one, isn't she?"

Ellone narrowed her eyes a little at him and her frown deepened. "She's not really the shy one. Squall is. Ellone is the outgoing one or at least she usually is." Laguna said before looking at his little niece. "Elle, be nice and say hello to Mr. Marius." He told her.

Ellone looked up at him as if asking, 'Do I have to?' and Raine scowled at her as she placed her hands on her hips. "Go on, Ellone. Say hello." She told her. Ellone looked back at Marius before lowering her head in defeat. "Hello, sir." She muttered. Marius just smirked. "Hello, Ellone." He turned his eyes onto Squall who stared back with bright and curious eyes. "Hello, young Squall." He said gently. The ten year old nodded back. "Hi."

Marius just smiled a ghost of a smile. His dying blue eyes said one thing that only Ellone could read. They were saying, 'You're mine.'

* * *

As the days turned into weeks, Squall was growing quite nicely. He was becoming very strong and fast for a boy his age. He had an interest in Marius. Every time he saw him, which was mostly after the sun had set, he couldn't help but smile. He liked him for some reason. The man was very friendly to him. Ellone however would glare. She had told Squall many times to stay away from Marius. She told him that Marius was a bad man and he was just playing everyone as fools. Raine would scold her when she heard such things. And when Ellone would turn to Laguna, he just shook his head. "That's not very nice to say such things, Elle. You should know better." He told her gently.  
Ellone sighed and would stomp up to her room. Squall ignored his cousin. He liked watching Marius whenever he saw the man taking a walk in the moonlight.

It was only after the weeks turned into months then did Raine grow ill. She was had woke up one early Sunday morning to get every thing started but was very weak in doing so. She was very pale and looked like she was catching a fever. She had tried to do her morning chores but it was very difficult on her. She even tried to keep her illness from Laguna and the kids.

However, Laguna was not as dense as everyone believed him to be. He noticed that she was very ill. He put her right back into bed the very minute he noticed. She hadn't gone without an argument though. She and Laguna argued about her health and yet he won. He had refused to let her out of bed until she was well again. Which never happened. She just got sicker and sicker. The sicker she became, the more devastated Laguna and the kids became. Raine was not getting any better than they had hoped.

Then, Raine died.

Everyone in Winhill was devastated. They had lost someone so dear. No one knew what the cause was for Raine's death. Only that when the doctors studied her, they found that she had blood loss. Some how she lost so much blood without actually bleeding. No one could explain it.  
Laguna, however, grew angry. He didn't say anything to anyone about why he was angry but he did leave for a while. He left Squall and Ellone in their grandfather's care while he was away in Deling City. He would call the kids every night though to tell them that he would be home very soon. He just didn't know how soon.

While in the care of their grandfather, Ellone grew a little nasty towards Marius. She said some very vile things about him that Squall didn't understand. No one really did. When Marius came over to pay his respects for Raine, Ellone shouted at him and told him to go away. She even had the nerve to call him a vampire right into his face. That would only get her into trouble.

"Ellone, you better watch your tone, young lady! You are being very rude to our guest and I will not tolerate it!" Grandfather Leonhart scolded her.

Ellone stomped her foot. "He is too a vampire! He's nothing but a blood-sucking monster! He killed mom and dad! He killed Aunt Raine! He's going to kill us too if we don't stop him!" She exclaimed.

Squall just watched her, stunned. He couldn't believe she was acting like this. Grandpa Leonhart however gave her a very dark look. "Ellone Marie! You better go to your room now. I will not hear such vile things. Marius is a very kind man and he is not a vampire. I think you need a little time out. So go to your room!" He told her pointing at the door.

Ellone sniffed as she glared at her grandfather before stomping up the stairs. The only one she complained to was either Squall or Laguna when he called. He usually just listened silently before trying to calm her down when she grew out of control of her emotions.

Squall, however, was not helping the situation. He found a new way of teasing his cousin and it only aggravated her. He would pull a bed sheet around his shoulders and run around Ellone while she was yelling at him.

"Mwahahahaha! I'm here to suck your blood!" He said laughing.

Ellone gave him a dark look. "Knock it off, Squall! You're not a vampire! Marius is!" She said. Squall peeled back his upper lip and gave a hiss. "I'm a vampire, Ellone! I'm here to drink you blood!" Then he laughed again. Ellone stomped a foot and started yelling at him. "Be careful of what you say, Squall! It might just come true!"

Squall just folded his arms and smirked at her. "I hope it does. I think being a vampire would be cool!"

Ellone gave him a loathing look. "Squall Leonhart Loire, someday you're going to be so sorry that you said that." She turned and stomped away. Squall just hmphed. "I will not!" he called after her.

He teased her a lot about it now. Even others teased Ellone. They would laugh and say, "Ellone is our precious vampire expert." It only made her madder.

Marius even found the time to tease her too when he went over to visit with the mayor. He would smirked at her while she was glaring. "Don't worry, lil' Ellone. I don't bite." He paused smirking even more. "Hard anyway." Ellone gave him the darkest look before storming out of the room.

When Laguna came home for a short while, she cried to him about how everyone was teasing her. He held her close and tried to calm her down. "Ah, Ellone. They're just doing it because they know it gets to you. You should try to ignore them." He told her. Ellone sniffed as she continued to cry. "But no one believes me! Marius is a vampire! I swear he is!" She cried. Laguna was quiet for a minute before he wiped her tears away. "Ellone, if he really is a vampire, I will take care of it, okay? But no more talking about it. Don't tell anyone that Marius is a vampire anymore, all right?"

Ellone sighed and nodded. "Fine. I won't say anything anymore."

Laguna smiled at her, before patting her on the head. "Don't worry, Lil' Elle. No vampires are going to get you or Squall. I promise." He said. Ellone smiled up at him and nodded.

Then while Laguna was gone again on business, things really got ugly. Grandfather Leonhart had invited Marius over for dinner and he had brought red drinks over to drink for the children. Ellone really freaked that night. Marius and Grandfather Leonhart were having such a pleasant talk together and Ellone was eyeing the red drinks with disgust. She didn't want any of it. She didn't even want Squall to have any of it.

"Hey, Marius. Can I have some?" Squall asked.

Everyone looked at him and Marius smiled. "Why sure, Squall." he said and poured some into a glass. He handed it to Squall.

Ellone stood up quickly and knocked it out of her little cousin's hands. "Don't drink it, Squall! It's blood!" She gasped.

Everyone had to jump away from the table to avoid the red liquid. "Ellone! What is the matter with you! It's only fruit punch!" Grandfather Leonhart exclaimed as he and Marius began mopping up the liquid. Squall was glaring at Ellone. Ellone ignored him. "It's not! It's blood!" She said. Grandfather Leonhart huffed angrily. "That is it, young lady! I have had it up to here of this vampire nonsense! There are no such things as vampires! Go to your room!" He demanded. Angry tears filled in Ellone's eyes as she glared hatefully at Marius, who was looking at her darkly.

"Marius, I am so sorry for Ellone. She is only a child and doesn't understand anything." Grandfather Leonhart said.

Marius shook his head. "Don't fret, Mr. Leonhart. I understand. I'm actually used to this. I do night shifts at the Hospital so I intend to sleep during the day."

Ellone just looked at him disbelievingly. Grandfather Leonhart gave her a look. "Ellone! I told you to go to your room! Now go!" He barked pointing to the stairs. Ellone sniffed heavily before she turned and stormed towards the stairs.

Squall glared after her. He was extremely angry with her for soiling his drink that he had wanted to taste. So out of spite, he made the biggest mistake he would ever make. He turned to Marius. "Hey, Marius. Will you make me into a vampire? I want to be one too!"

Ellone spun around with a shocked look on her pale face. Her heart felt like it nearly leaped up into her throat.

Something had flared up in Marius's eyes though. He looked extremely interested. His dark eyes turned right over to Ellone, who turned a dark look onto him. He smirked at her before nodding. "Do you really mean that, Squall? Because if you don't, you should not ask. Making this choice is a last decision one. You can not change your mind once you've asked." He said in a joking way.

Squall just laughed, shooting his cousin a look. "Yeah! I want to be a vampire!"

Ellone looked at him with tear-filled eyes. Her face was full horror and sadness. Marius just winked at Squall. "Very well, Squall. I will turn you into a vampire. But let us wait for a few years. Maybe until you're of age. You don't want to be a child forever, now do you?" He asked. He and Squall just laughed while Ellone scowled with tears running down her cheeks. She turned and ran up the stairs, crying horribly.

That night, while Squall was asleep, Ellone snuck out of bed and went over to the phone in the corner. She knew her Grandparents were asleep, which was a relief. She had cried well into the night but now it was time to not cry. She had to make a call. Quietly, she crept to the phone in the corner and began to dial the number. After a few rings, someone answered.

_"Hello?" _Laguna's tired voice came.

Ellone felt tears stinging her eyes. "Uncle Laguna, it's me."

_"Huh? Ellone? What are you doing calling me so early in the morning? What time is it?" _There was a pause then a yelp. _"My goodness, child! It's 2:20 in the morning!" _He gasped.

Ellone sniffed. "Uncle Laguna, we have trouble. I think Squall is in trouble."

_"What?! What do you mean?! What's wrong, Elle? What happened? Is Squall hurt?"_

Ellone shook her head. "No. B-but...he's done something very stupid. He's asked Marius to make him into a vampire! You've got to come home!"

There was a very long pause. _"You called me about Marius being a vampire again?" _Laguna sounded a little irritated and angry now. But there was still softness and concern in his voice.

Ellone sniffed. "I'm sorry, Uncle Laguna! But I'm just so scared! Marius is going to hurt Squall!" She cried softly. Another long pause.

_"Ellone, it's too early to talk about this. Just don't worry about Marius right now. When I come home, I will talk to him about him teasing you, all right?" _Laguna asked.

Ellone shook her head. "But...!"

_"Elle, just trust me on this, okay? I will put an end at this when I get home. I promise. You know I never break my promises." _

Ellone then nodded. "Okay." And the conversation ended there.

* * *

Things really quieted down when Laguna had gotten home. He had gone to speak to Marius about the problem and apparently it worked. Because Marius never really came over to the house anymore. He was hardly ever seen by anyone. And Squall blamed Ellone. He was so annoyed with her now that he couldn't speak to Marius anymore. He became very quiet and anti-social. Ellone tried to talk to him about Marius being a vampire and he ignored her. They hardly ever talked anymore unless they really had too.  
And Laguna only went away once a month to Deling City but came back within days. He didn't want to leave the children by theirselves for very long.

A few years had passed and there was rumors that Marius was still in Winhill, though he rarely shown himself to anyone. Squall was growing quite nicely. He was 18 years old in no time.

And now that he was of age, Laguna decided to give him something that had belonged to him. He believed it was time to hand it down to his son. It was a silver ring with a lion carving in it.

"It had a name once. But I'm afraid I have forgotten it." Laguna told him as they sat down together. "You can call it whatever you want now that it's yours. It once belonged to your great, great, great grandfather. But as years went by, it was passed down to generation to generation. And now it's yours, son."

Squall smiled at him. "Thanks, dad." He said. Laguna patted his son's shoulder before standing.

Things between Squall and Ellone were still very tense. They hardly spoke to one another, speaking to each other when it was really necessary. Ellone was suspicious all the time. She acted like there was something evil around. She was even very protective of her younger cousin. And it really annoyed Squall. He would try to sneak out without her knowing, because she always asked him where he was going. And it was during the summer when things really changed for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: I don't own any Final Fantasy VII characters in this story, only the ones that don't really exist in the game. **

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**Chapter Two**

It was a warm summer night. The stars were out and shining brightly. The moon was full that night and it had a strange light orange glow. Squall was walking home with his friend, Biggs, from a party that had been at one of his friend's place. There had been drinks there that night too and Squall had been drinking, even though he was underage. He was still drinking a Mimmet Beer.

"Man, that party was slamming, dude!" Biggs said as he staggered beside Squall. Squall only rolled his eyes with a smirk as he took another drink from his bottle. "Man, can't wait till the next party! Anyway, gotta get home. See you tomorrow." Biggs said as he went towards his house.

Squall only waved at him. "All right. Catch you tomorrow." He called.

Soon he was alone. He climbed over a fence, into a flower field. He was going to stop by his mother's tomb, where they had buried her.

Squall had grown very nicely throughout the years. He had dark brown hair, which he kept messy and let long bangs hand over his stormy blue eyes. He was built very nicely from exercising all the time. He had a washboard stomach hidden under his white tank top. He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black jacket. He had grown very handsome. His facial features belonged to Laguna but his eyes had been Raine's.

Laguna had always believed that Squall was built like a Gunblader, so he had given his son a revolver model that Squall always trained with. He would always go out and train with it, and because of his training, he was one of the best Gunbladers in Winhill.

He finally found the headstone on the flower hill near his house. His stormy blue eyes on the name.  
Raine Leonhart Loire.

Squall took another swig of his drink as he stared down at the headstone. A gentle smile formed on his face. "Hey, mom." He whispered as he just stood there.

He ran his fingers through his hair as he stared downward at his mother's grave. He really missed her. He wondered if she was happy where she was and if she was proud of what accomplishments he had done with his life without her. He really hoped that he was pleasing her with graduating from the local high school and going onto College. He was going to do all that he could to make sure he would make her more proud of him, no matter what it took.

That was then his sharp ears picked something up. He heard a swish of fabric and it made him spin on his heel, looking around.

There was an eerie feeling in the air and Squall didn't like it. It had gone very quiet and it wasn't very pleasant. Usually Squall liked quietness but right now, he didn't. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck starting to rise and that wasn't really a good sign. He decided he had better get home so he turned to leave, only to halt in his footsteps.

There was someone standing against a tree.

He couldn't see the person too well because he was in the dark. But he knew well enough that it was a guy. The man was young though. He could see that much. Possibly only a year or two older than Squall. Squall could see that young man's hair was slick back and it looked like it was blonde. The man was wearing dark pants, possibly black or dark blue. He was wearing a black top with silver lining, hidden under a very long silver white trench coat. Squall couldn't see the color of the man's eyes because they were hooded in the darkness. Yet, he had a very fair, pale complexion in his skin. And in his hand, he was holding a cigarette.

"Hi there. Nice night, huh?" The man spoke up.

Squall just stayed quiet and very alert. He felt like he was a mouse that had been caught by a cat. He didn't like this guy at all. And he didn't ever remember seeing him before. Who was this guy and where did he come from? The man in the dark smirked as he stepped closer, into the moonlight. Squall got to see his face now.

The man was very handsome and he had emerald green eyes, which seemed to shine. Squall didn't like his eyes at all.

The stranger flicked his cigarette away and stepped closer. Squall tensed, stepping back a little. But the man didn't seem to notice that he shied away. His eyes fell onto the tombstone. "Hmph. Raine Leonhart Loire, huh?" He turned his eyes onto Squall, who lowered his head, yet kept his eyes onto him. The blonde smirked again. "Don't be afraid, boy. I'm not going to hurt you."

Squall's temper flared a little. He glared at him. "I'm not a boy. And I'm at least a year younger than you." He said hotly.

The blonde sneered as he turned fully towards him. "Kind of a hot head, aren't you. He said chuckling. "Actually I'm way older than you. A hundred years older."

Squall's eyes lit up in surprise. "What?" he asked in confusion.

Suddenly he felt someone grab his hair and yanked his head back. Squall gasped as he dropped his beer bottle and looked right up to see the blonde. He hadn't even seen this guy move. He was extremely faster than he had expected. The blonde grinned down at him before he opened his mouth wide. Squall watched in horror as two very sharp teeth, no, fangs grew right out from under his lips. The blonde's eyes were wide with excitement and there was definitely hunger in his eyes. Squall did the only thing that came to his mind. He swung his fist, punching the blonde hard in the face to make him let go. The blonde did.

Once Squall was released, he bolted. There was no way he was going to stay there with that crazy lunatic. He knew he had to get away before he ended up dead. But then, he felt something rush right past him and he came to a halt.

The blonde had ran right past him and was blocking his path now. His eyes were flaring with rage. "That hurt, you little bastard!" He growled.

Squall backed away, feeling very frightened indeed. "What the hell are you?!" He gasped.

The blonde sneered as he came forward, and fast. Squall gasped as the blonde grabbed him by the front of his shirt and then threw him against the tree. He cried out in pain as he slid down to the ground. His back aching from the impact.

The blonde laughed as he walked towards him and stood right over him. "You want to know what I am?" He then placed his foot under Squall's shoulder and kicked him onto his back. Squall blinked away the dizziness in his eyes and looked right up. But cried out as he felt the blonde grab him by the hair, lifting him up. "I am your death bringer."

When Squall's eyes focused again, they widened when the saw the switchblade in the blonde's hand. Before he could do anything, the blonde slid the blade right down his face, between his eyes. Squall yelled out in pain and felt his warm blood running down between his eyes. It was stinging very badly.

"Damn, that looks good." The blonde said before he bent down over Squall. He bent Squall's head to the side before biting down hard on his neck.

Squall's eyes snapped wide open as he felt the blonde's teeth just tear right into his neck. He tried to struggling to get out of the blonde's grip but for some reason he couldn't. He could feel the blonde actually drinking his blood.

But then the blonde tensed and then pulled away, blood dripping down his mouth and chin. He looked very shocked at Squall, who was frozen with shock and fear. He was also feeling very weak from the blood loss. The blonde then hissed angrily. "Oh, shit! You're already claimed!" He exclaimed as he threw Squall back down. He quickly backed away from the gasping youth.

Squall's forehead and neck was burning with pain and he could hardly see with the blood running into his eyes. He pushed himself up so he could lean against the tree. His eyes on the shocked blonde. But the blonde wasn't looking at him anymore.

Instead he was looking at something behind him.

"That's right, Seifer." Squall heard that familiar voice. His head jerked to the side, which wasn't very smart because it had hurt. He saw Marius stepping out from behind the tree. And he looked very annoyed and angry. "You've attacked my beloved soon to be fledgling, my dark son."

The blonde, Seifer, held up a hand, looking very afraid now. "Marius?!" He gasped.

Squall gasped weakly as he tilted himself towards Marius. "Mar-Marius! Help me! He's...he's crazy!" He cried out weakly.

Marius looked down at Squall before shaking his head. He stepped closer to him and bent down beside him. "Don't move, Squall. It will only hurt more." He returned his gaze back onto Seifer. "And actually, Seifer's not crazy. Not really. He's just hungry."  
Squall's eyes narrowed in confusion as he watched Marius stand up and move towards Seifer, who backed away. "Seifer, you have done wrong. This one belongs to me." He said calmly.

Seifer shook his head as he continued to back away. "Marius! I swear, I didn't know! If I'd known, I wouldn't have..." He was saying.

Marius grimaced at Seifer's loud voice. He just held up a hand to silence him, which worked very quickly. "Seifer, I know you wouldn't have attacked him if you would have known. That's why I'm going to let you live."  
Seifer now looked relieved.  
"But not unpunished." Marius added.

Seifer's eyes widened before he let out a sharp, painful cry. He slapped his hand over his forehead, bending over in pain. Squall's jaw fell at what he had just seen happen. Seifer's forehead split open as if an invisible blade sliced his own forehead. It was very much like Squall's wound, only on the other side. Blood spilling down Seifer's nose and through his fingers.

Squall, shaking very violently, looked up at the wicked grin on Marius's face. What surprised him more was Marius's eyes were glowing bright red. "That, Seifer, is for slicing my new beloved son's forehead with that knife. Now get out of here! I told you to return to Deling City once the meeting was done and over with!"

Seifer lowered his hand as he backed away. He sent a dirty look in Squall's direction before he turned and ran off into the darkness.

Squall was still shaking violently as he stared up at Marius. The tall man finally turned around and looked down at him. He bent down beside the youth, frowning as he flinched. "Easy, Squall. I'm not going to hurt you." He said to him. Squall shuddered as he felt his blood still running down his face and his chest. His white shirt had now been stained red from his blood. He was in so much pain.

"Squall, are you all right?" Marius asked calmly.

Squall shook his head as he winced from the pain. "N-no...it hurts, Marius." He turned his eyes towards the spot Seifer had been. "Wh-what was that?"

Marius turned his eyes to the spot before he shook his head. "That, unfortunately, was one of my sons. I have to apologize for his stupidity. He didn't know that you were going to be his brother soon."

Squall froze at those words. He slowly looked back at Marius in surprise. "Wh-what?"

Marius looked down at him with a pitiful sigh. "I'm afraid my plans are going to have to be upped sooner than I hoped." He gently placed his hand behind Squall's back, carefully lifting up to a sitting position. "Now relax, Squall."

Squall didn't know what it had been, but he felt himself just drift off. He was extremely tired and his eyes were drooping. He started to fall unconscious. But not before he felt sharp teeth sink in his neck.

* * *

When he woke up, Squall felt very weak. He could feel the sun's rays on him and felt a cool, wet rag on his forehead, which was very sore. His forehead and neck was throbbing, yet it didn't hurt that much anymore. Squall's eyes fluttered open and he saw that he was back in his room, in his bed. 

Ellone was sitting right next to him, looking down at him with concern. She couldn't help but smile when she saw him awake. "Hey." She whispered. Squall tried to force a smile, yet it was more of a grimace. "H-hey." He croaked. Ellone frowned before she began dabbing his feverish forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Squall, lightly, shook his head. "Like shit." He muttered.

Ellone frowned at his choice of words but over looked it. She shrugged it off, lightly smiling. "Well...you look like shit."

Squall smiled faintly but then winced as he felt his neck throb painfully. "What happened? Why does my forehead hurt? And my neck?" He asked weakly. Ellone looked at him with worry. She was quiet for a minute before she shook her head. "I'm not sure what happened, Squall." Her voice had cracked, as if she was going to start crying. "You have a deep cut between your eyes and a gash in your neck. I found you like this when I came up to wake you." She paused for a second. "Yesterday, morning."

Squall stared up at her with confusion. Ellone nodded. "You've been out for two days. It's nearly noon now. Your father is furious. We think you've been attacked by something. Or someone. Do you know who did this to you?"

Squall thought painfully. But his mind was a blank. He couldn't remember anything. He shook his head. "I don't remember. I...I remember Daven's party. I was kind of drunk. I..." His head started hurting as he tried to remember. "I just don't know. I can't remember. It's all a blank."

Ellone's face became very stern. "Did you see Marius that night? Was he the one that attacked you?" She asked seriously.

Squall shot her a look. "Ellone, don't start that again. It wasn't Marius. I don't even remember seeing Marius." He said coldly. He then saw a flash in his mind. He saw a knife. "No...someone had a knife." He said weakly.

Ellone's eyes widened. "A knife? Who?"

Squall looked down, trying to remember. His eyes squinted as he tried to picture that night. "I..." He paused trying to look into the memory. There was a flash of the blonde. "A blonde man. I think he was my age. He...I think he's the one that attacked me."

Ellone slowly nodded. "Are you sure?" She asked. Squall strained to remember but nothing. "I think so."

Ellone sighed as she stopped dabbing his forehead. "Squall, try to get some rest." She told him as she stood and started away.

Squall watched her for a second. "Ellone?"

Ellone turned around. "Yes?"

Squall wanted to sit up but he just didn't have the strength. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."

Ellone smiled before shaking her head. "Don't, Squall. You don't need to apologize. Just rest. Uncle Laguna will be coming up here later to check on you." She said. Squall nodded as he watched her walk out of his room. He just laid there, straining to remember. What had happened that night? He didn't remember a thing.

Later, when he had woken up again, Laguna was in the room. The tall man was staring out at the dying light of the sun. A very serious look on his face. At his side, he was holding a gun. That creeped Squall out just a little.

"Dad..." he tried to say but it came out as a choke.

Laguna had heard it though. His head spun around and a surprised look appeared on his face. He forced a smile as he turned towards Squall. "Hey, Squall." He said walking over to him.

Squall was eyeing the gun. "What's...what's that for?" He asked weakly. Laguna looked down at the gun before pulling a face. He quickly pushed the safety button and tucked it away under his blue jacket. "Oh, I was just...um, well, I was just getting back from shooting practice."

Squall couldn't tell if that was a lie or not.

Laguna sat down next to Squall and looked his son over. His eyes were definitely full of worry. "How are you feeling?" He asked. Squall reached up and touched the cut in his forehead. "Really sore." He muttered. Laguna tried to smile but couldn't. "Ellone told me what you said earlier. We're trying to find out who did this to you, son." He said gently. Squall nodded as he closed his eyes to try to ease the pain. "That's good." He then touched the gash in his neck. It felt very weird to his touch. He opened his eyes and saw the pained look on Laguna's face. "Dad?" Laguna looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Laguna shook his head, his eyes starting to tear up. "I'm just scared, Squall. I'm scared for you. I've already lost your mother to this kind of sickness and I'm afraid I'm going to lose you too. I don't know what I could do if that would ever happen." he said weakly.

Squall stared up at him. "Dad...do you know something about mom's death? Do you know how she was sick?"

Laguna just looked at him before shaking his head. "No." There was a long silence.

"Squall, you should rest. You need your strength." Laguna finally said. Squall nodded as he laid back. "All right."

Laguna stood and went over to a chair in the corner. Squall couldn't help but faintly smirk. "You don't have to watch me sleep." he said. Laguna faintly smiled back at him. "I feel like I do, Squall. I feel like I do need to stay by your side until morning." he then nodded. "Rest, my son." He told him. Squall closed his eyes and started to drift off.

Before he did, he heard a beep. It made him open one eye to see what was going on. Laguna was dialing a number on a cell phone. There were a few rings before Laguna turned his back onto Squall.

"Hey, Kiros. Get your things packed. You and Ward get your asses over here in Winhill. Something's come up. My son's been attacked by one of Them."

* * *

Squall had been resting for three days now. He was still very weak, but his strength was slowly coming back. Laguna and Ellone visited him every day, both wanting to make sure that Squall was getting better. They kept cooking things for him, not letting him get out of bed once, unless he needed to use the restroom. 

Unfortunately, he couldn't walk to the bathroom by himself because he was still very weak. Laguna had to help him, which was an embarrassment for him.

The thing that had Squall's mind racing the most was when Laguna would sit up in his room at night. He had caught his father just sitting in the chair, his gun in hand. It was like he was waiting for some intruder to try and break in to harm Squall. And when Laguna wasn't sitting in the chair, he was staring out the window with a very serious look on his face.

But soon, his life would change. Forever.

* * *

It was a very dark night when Squall woke up in a cold sweat. He had woken up to a very cold hand touching his face. He was shivering from the nightmare he had woken up from. It was very dark so he could hardly see anything. "D-dad?" He whispered. 

A cool finger touched his lips. "Shhh. It's all right, Squall. Don't be scared." he heard that voice. Squall's eyes narrowed a little. That wasn't Laguna's voice. "Marius?" He now could see the pale face his old friend.

Marius was smiling down at him. "Hello, Squall." He said softly.

Squall shivered. "Wh-what are you doing here? Where's my fa-father?" he asked. Marius just smirked at him. "Laguna is out at the moment. As for me, I've come for you." He said. Squall stared at him. "What are you talking about?" He asked as he pushed himself up to a sitting position.

The smile on Marius's face just sent a shiver right through Squall. That smile was not a pleasant one. Squall's instincts were telling him to get away from this man. That there was danger.

"Squall, it's time." Marius whispered as he stood.

Squall shivered at the tone in Marius's voice. "What?"

Marius smirked. "When you were ten years old, what did you ask me to do?" He asked. Squall narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" He asked. Marius nodded. "You asked me to make you a vampire, don't you remember? Well, it's time to make you a vampire. It's time for me to end your life and give you a whole new one."

Squall's entire body had just hit subzero. And then he saw them. Two glistening white fangs were peering right at him from under Marius's lips. And they were sharp looking.

Squall's eyes widened as realization just kicked in. He could remember it all now. He remembered that night. He remembered Marius biting him after that man, Seifer had. "Oh, my god." He whispered. His world had just come crashing down on him. Ellone had been right and he had been too stupid not to listen to her.

Marius gave a low, dark chuckle. "Yes, Squall. Oh, my god, indeed."

Squall just looked weakly at Marius as his heart sank. "Ellone...I'm so sorry." he whispered.

Marius laughed softly. "Oh, Squall. You must feel very stupid for not listening to her. But you know? She couldn't really save you. No matter how much she tried to hunt me down to kill me. You were mine from the very beginning I set eyes on you."

Squall shot out of his bed, snatching up his gunblade as he faced Marius. He couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe that Marius had been a vampire all along. "Stay away from me, Marius! Don't come near me!" He shouted as he held up his gunblade threateningly. Marius only grinned, his posture still very calm as he slid one hand into his pocket and slowly move around the bed. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Squall. I already told you long ago, there's no going back once you've asked me to make you into a vampire. You signed yourself right over to me. I'm going to make you into a vampire." He told him.

Squall just backed away from him as he moved closer. He slowly shook his head. "No...I don't want to be..." He was saying.

Marius only smirked. "That's too bad, Squall. You don't really have a choice. You can't change your mind anymore. You've already tasted vampire's blood."

Squall's eyes widened. "What?"

Marius grinned as he stopped inches away from the Gunblade's tip. "Ah yes. You weren't awake for that part, weren't you? Here. Let me show." He then winked.

A weird feeling spread throughout Squall and he gasped as he saw Marius's memory. It all came back to him. He saw Marius drinking from him. Marius had drunk his blood, draining him of his precious life source. Then he saw Marius tearing his own wrist open with his blood soaked fangs. Squall saw how the vampire had opened his mouth and made him drink vampire's blood.

Squall dropped his gunblade as he slammed his own back against the wall to get away from Marius. "Oh god! What have you done to me!" He exclaimed.

Marius only grinned evilly, as he just stood right where he was. "I have given you a chance to live, Squall. If I had not given you some of my blood, you would have died. Seifer tore your neck open, Squall. You would have bled to death." He shook his head. "Of course, a few mere drops of what I've given you will not work completely. You are dying, Squall. You just don't know it. The blood of a vampire is like poison to the living. You will die and be reborn as my fledgling, my dark son." He paused, frowning darkly. "Of course, you could always join your mother in Hell where I sent her. I gave her the same choice and she spat it right back in my face. Literately."

Squall gritted his teeth angrily. "You! You killed her?!" he snapped.

Marius rose a finger. "Yes. And Ellone's parents too. And the hotel owner, who was said to die of a fever. Not to mention the butcher. However, his blood wasn't very satisfying as I had hoped. Too high in sodium. Oh, and there was that little boy next door..."

He was going to keep going with names but Squall let out an outraged yell. He lunged at Marius. There was hatred etched in his face and burning in his eyes. He wanted to kill Marius now. He had to avenge his mother's death. His aunt and uncle's. Everyone that Marius had killed. Squall swung his fist to punch Marius.

Unfortunately, to swing at a vampire, it wasn't very smart. Vampires are so much faster than mortals.

It was only too easy for Marius to catch Squall's fist and then lash out his other hand to wrap around Squall's neck. Then with no effort at all, Marius spun around and slammed Squall down on his bed, pinning him down on the mattress. His hand tight around Squall's neck and his fangs baring into a wicked smile.  
"Ah, ah. Naughty boy, Squall. It's not nice to hit your friends. Especially when they're vampires. You might just provoke them." Marius said before he released Squall's fist and grabbed his hair. He jerked Squall's head to the side to bare his neck.

Squall let out a yell for help but it came as a weak groan. So he tried to struggle to escape.

However, Marius was ten times stronger than him. He wouldn't let Squall move at all. All he did was sink his fangs right into Squall's neck. Squall's body jerked with pain and his eyes tightly shut. He could hear his own blood pumping through his veins. He could hear his heart screaming to him. It was pumping harder to pull the blood back towards it, the blood that was being pulled away from him. Then every thing went black.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

When Squall awoke, he could see nothing but darkness. It was so cold all around him. His body was freezing. He could feel the hard stone ground underneath him. He was very weak, weaker than he had been the first time. Squall could feel the pain in his neck. But there was something wrapped around it. He lightly reached up and felt the bandage there. He had been bandaged up. But who did it? Squall's eyes searched the darkness for something. But he couldn't see anything. He tried to sit up but he felt like a stone.

"I'm glad you've awaken, Squall." He heard the voice.

Squall jumped and looked around in the dark. There was a dark chuckle. It was no doubt Marius. But where was he? Squall couldn't see him.

"I'm not...I'm not a..." He stammered weakly.

Marius then stepped closer so that Squall could see him. "No. Not yet. But you will be soon. But first, you must rise and go outside. I always let my children see their last sunset before they die."

Squall gave him a very loathing look. "Where are we?" He muttered. The darkness had adjusted his eyes and he could see that they were in some kind of cave of some sort.

Marius only smiled. "We are in The Tomb of the Unknown King. You've been asleep for some time. I was afraid that you were going to miss the sunset. Go, Squall." He went over and helped Squall to his feet. Squall jerked away once he was standing. "Go see your last sunset. I'm afraid I can't go with you. I have not seen the sun for a thousand years. Right after I built Winhill." Squall looked at him in confusion. But then realization hit him. Marius only smiled. "Yes, Squall. I am Marius Winhill, the founder of your hometown. I too was bitten by a vampire. Although I chose to be bitten. Ah, here we are chattering away and you are going to miss your sunset. Go on. Go watch the Sun." he said pushing Squall down the hall.

Squall only looked at him before he turned and started away. He half limped though. He was still very weak from blood loss.

"Oh, and Squall." Marius called. Squall stopped in his tracks. "Don't even think about running away. It is only an hour till it's dark and if you run, you will only anger me. And believe me, you don't want that." Marius told him as he stood there. Then Squall went outside.

He was sitting at the edge of the cliff side, watching the sun sink lower and lower. Many thoughts were running through his mind. He knew that everything would change once he became one of Them. He would never be the same Squall again. He would be a creature of the night. A monster that sucked the blood of the living dry. He could never face his family again once he was changed. It hurt so much to know that he was going to die and never see his father or Ellone again with his living eyes. Squall felt tears stinging his eyes as he lowered his head.

"Why didn't I listen to you, Elle? Why did I have to be so stupid?" He muttered. A tear ran down his face as he just sat there.

A gentle breeze blew around Squall, blowing his hair out of his face. The colors of the sunset appeared. So many colors in the sky. The sky was on fire, so beautiful. Squall let out a sigh as he stared up at the fiery red color. He could almost picture Ellone's face in the sun. "I'm so sorry, Ellone." He whispered. There was a sad look on Ellone's face in the sun.

_"I know, Squall. But it's too late. And it's my fault." _He could almost hear her voice. He shook his head with a sigh. _"You are what you are. And I am what I am. Forgive me, when we shall meet again."_

Squall watched the sun sink lower until it touched the ocean. It was going out like a candle. The blue wax was killing the flames. Only a minute would pass and Squall's light would got out forever. Plunging him into darkness and never to be lit again.

He was still there when the blonde had found him. He had been sent to find the new fledgling and when he found him, he couldn't help but just stare at Squall sitting there with his head lowered. Seifer tilted his head as he just studied the new guy. There was something about this new fledgling. If only there was still a human side inside him, he would have felt bad for this new guy. This kid was being changed against his own will. Being raped of his own life.

Seifer Almasy had never been one who would change someone against his or her will. He just didn't think it was right.

Grunting, he decided to get his attention. And he did it by kicking Squall softly in the back.

Squall jerked around only to see that it was the scarred vampire that had attacked him days ago. The blonde didn't look too happy himself and he was smoking a cigarette. Squall quickly stood and faced the blonde with glare. Seifer narrowed his eyes at him. "So, you're Marius's new favorite. Pfft." He snorted looking Squall over. "No big deal. Your a good looking fellow and your strong but you're nothing compared to me." He growled.

Squall narrowed his eyes at him coldly. "You think I want to become a damned vampire? You're dead wrong." He said coldly.

Seifer only sneered at him. "You would like to die, wouldn't ya? Die than rather become one of us? Well, I could help you with that problem. I could just kill you so you won't have to be a vampire. But unfortunately, Marius would kill me, Squall Lionheart." he said, turning away.

Squall gritted his teeth. "My name is Squall Leonhart." he called after him.

Seifer turned back and smirked. "Not anymore, Lionheart. Marius gave you a new name." He was going to turn away but stopped. He turned back. "I'm Seifer Almasy by the way. Come on. Don't want to miss all the fun." He said then walked away. Squall sighed as he looked over his shoulder, back at the ocean. This was the end of Squall Leonhart Loire. It would only be Squall the Vampire now.

He stepped back into the clearing where the vampires waited for him. It stunned him to see so many just sitting around on the ground or the stone wall. There were at least twenty of them. Including Marius and Seifer. Marius was waiting on the steps of the tomb. His eyes on Squall with a cruel smile. How Squall just wanted to rush him and kill him. Even if he had to do it in front of all of these vampires. But then, he knew that would be very foolish. To kill a vampire, especially the maker to all of these ones, he knew if he tried, he would die. Not to mention, the first time never worked either.

Sighing, Squall approached Marius, his eyes full of forlorn. Marius only grinned at him. "Are you ready, Squall?" Squall didn't look at him at all. He only looked away. "What choice do I have?" He muttered bitterly.

Marius smirked as he stepped closer and then forced Squall to turn to face the others. "Welcome, my dark children of the night! Welcome to the death of Squall Leonhart and the birth of the Lionheart! Tonight, I shall grant you a new brother! Show your welcomes to you Squall Lionheart!"

The air exploded with cheers from the vampires. Squall looked around at each before he looked at Marius. "My name is Leonhart, not Lionheart." He muttered to him.

Marius didn't look at him but he leaned over to him. "Not anymore. Squall Leonhart Loire is dead. It even says so in the papers." He said, pulling out a newspaper from his coat pocket and handing it to him.

Squall slowly took the paper and looked at it. His eyes widened at what he saw. A picture of his house. It had been burned to ashes. In the picture, Squall could see Laguna sitting in front of it, curled up on the ground, crying. His hands tightly clutching his hair. Ellone and two other men were standing with him. Squall's heart nearly dropped. He knew it wasn't the house that Laguna was crying for. He knew that it had to be him.

Squall looked at Marius with pain in his eyes. "You burned my house? What did you do, Marius?" He growled.

Marius finally looked at him, dullness in his eyes. "Yes, Squall. I burned your house and used another dead body to pretend that it was yours. Now shut up so I can finish. If you interrupt one more time, I'm not going to stop them from attacking." He motioned to the cheering vampires. "They don't like it when someone interrupts me." He added in a serious tone.

Seifer nodded from Marius's other side.

Marius then held up his hands for silence and it immediately went quiet. "You all know the procedure. No one...absolutely no one comes in while I'm changing Squall. You come in, you will die." he said in a very threatening tone. No one seemed to care too much that Marius had just threatened them. They all just nodded or cheered again. Marius turned to Squall. "Come, my son." he said motioning to the tomb.  
Squall only glanced at him before looking back at the excited faces of the vampires. He then looked at Seifer who was eyeing him with a strange look. He didn't know what it was, but there could have been pity in the blonde vampire's eyes. Even though Seifer was very good at hiding it on his face, his eyes he could not. He then gave a light nod for Squall to follow Marius.

Squall only stared at him before he did. Marius led Squall through the dark halls of the Tomb. He only glanced back once to see if Squall was still there. "Marius, why would they die if they came in?" The youth asked.

Marius looked back at him, letting him catch up to his side. "The change intends to get messy, Squall. There'll be blood all over the place, all over you and it'll just make them crazy. They might attack you while your dying. They could tear you apart while your weak. They come in out of temptation, they will die by my hand or Seifer's. I am their father, Squall. And I will be yours." he said stopping to face him.

Squall just looked at him. "Seifer? Why would they die by Seifer's hand?"

Marius tilted his head with a faint smile. "Seifer Almasy may be younger than most of those vampires out there, but he's the most loyal one I have. I ask him to do something, he will do it. No real questions asked."

Squall's eyes hardened. "Then why did you punish him that night he attacked me?"

Marius shook his head. "Because all vampires are punished if they do not obey my orders. Usually Seifer just does what I tell him. I didn't tell him that he couldn't stop for a snack before going back. So he thought it would be okay to grab a bite to eat." He said with a smirk.

Squall didn't think that was very funny.

Then Marius walked on into a clearing. There was a small tomb surrounded by water. It was a creepy little place. The two of them walked into the tomb where Squall could see a stone coffin in the middle of the tomb. Then he looked right at Marius who was smirking at him, his fangs baring. "Let's begin shall we?"  
And before Squall knew it, Marius had rushed forward and sank his fangs into his neck. His eyes tightly shut as he cried out in pain. He felt his knees give out and couldn't do anything but fall to them. Marius just went with him, still drinking. Squall could feel his life fading fast. The blood was being pulled from his screaming heart again. His blood was pounding in his veins.

Marius pulled his head away, letting Squall's blood drip from his mouth and fangs. He had the look of extreme pleasure in his face. "My, Squall. You taste very good. You have such healthy blood. I'm very tempted in just sucking you dry. But then again I would rather not." he said as he rose his wrist and then tore it open with his fangs. He held it up close to Squall's mouth. "Drink, Squall, and it will soon be over."

Squall shook his head weakly as he clenched his lips shut tight. He would have rathered die than become one of the undead.

However, Marius would not allow that. He gripped his hair tightly making him gasp out in pain. He pressed his wrist against Squall's open mouth, letting his blood drip into his mouth. Squall's body took over. He no longer had the will to control himself. His teeth clamped down on Marius's wrist and he began to drink. The rich, irony taste filled his mouth, tasting more like white wine to his taste buds.

Marius then groaned with pain and yanked his wrist away. Squall fell to the ground, onto his back, no longer being supported. His eyes widened as pain just burned throughout his entire body. It was way too intense for his liking. Memories began to flash through his mind. The day he first saw his mother and father as a newborn. He saw his Aunt River and Uncle Garret. Then he saw Ellone, how she looked so angelic. He remembered the first thing she ever said to him. _"He looks like an angel!"_ Squall knew that his life was ending, that it was flashing before him. He could feel his heart weakening as the vampiric blood ran all through him.

"Wh-what's hap-happening to me?!" He gasped out.

Marius had staggered to the side, watching him writhe with the pain. "You're dying, Squall. At least your body is. Your organs are shutting down. Your heart will be the last one. It'll only hurt for a few minutes." He said calmly. His eyes turned to his wrist, which was mending itself now.

Squall let out a yell of pain as he slammed his hand down onto the ground. He clawed at the dirt because it was hurting so bad. Then he threw himself onto his stomach, trying to push himself up. He clutched his chest, for the pain there was more intense than anywhere else. Squall squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his teeth. He could now feel an ache in his mouth as two fangs were growing. Squall felt another spasm of pain that sent him to his knees. His head tilted back and his eyes opened wide. He let out a loud cry of pain. He couldn't hold it in any longer. He could hear his heart slowing its rhythm of the beat. Feeling it die.

Then...it stopped.

Squall fell onto his back, gasping in pain. The pain had stopped coming. It was over. The transformation was complete. Squall's eyes opened again and he noticed something. His vision had changed. It was much sharper than it used to be, almost like cat's eyes. He could see in the dark, almost like it was a very dark, cloudy day. He could smell much better. He smelled blood, dirt and sweat. And worst of all, death. What scared him the most, he liked those smells.

Marius stepped over to him, looking down at his fallen form. He was smiling as he held out a hand. "Welcome to the life of the Undead, Squall. You have just started your life as a vampire." He said. The last word was ringing in Squall's enhanced ears. Vampire.

* * *

Squall had just finished getting dressed into his new clothes. His old ones had been soaked in blood, his blood. Marius had him wash in the water to be rid of the blood on his skin. When the blood was gone, Squall climbed out and dried himself. Then he began dressing himself.

The cloths he had been given were all black. Black seemed to a vampire's favorite. Except Marius's. He seemed to like wearing red.

Squall was wearing black jeans with a few leather belts. There were three leg belts on the right leg. Two black leather belts hung loose around his waist. His top was a black tank top. And over his cloths, he wore a black leather trench coat. On the neck guard, was a silver clasp with a lion symbol. The same marking in his ring that his father had given him.

As he dressed, Marius explained to him about vampires. "Vampires are just as fragile as humans are, Squall. We can die just as easily. Yet, because of our speed and strength, it's pretty hard to kill us. We also cannot see the light of day. Our skin can burn very fast. That is why vampires hunt at night."

Squall looked at him. "What about crucifixes? Do vampires really hate them?"

Marius smirked. "Those are only stories, Squall. Vampires are actually fond of crosses. We pray just like humans do. Well some of us anyway."

Squall looked at him with a cold look. "Why?"

Marius looked away. "Because some of us beg for forgiveness. For the souls we have killed just to live. " His eyes turned back onto Squall. "You must understand, Squall. Vampires are not all total monsters. We have a human side still. If only we chose to use it. Take Seifer for one." He tilted his head at the name. "He was against changing you, Squall."

Squall's eyes narrowed a little. "Why?" he asked coldly.

Marius shook his head. "Seifer, like you, didn't have a choice. He was changed against his own will. He was bitten by a vampire. It wasn't me exactly. Yes I did change him. But another vampire was the one who tried to kill him. I tried to save him. However, my efforts was what killed him and made him reborn as what he is." He told him then shrugged. "As for the last thing you must know, vampires don't like silver that much. We touch it, we have a very bad allergic reaction." Squall looked down at the clasp on his jacket before looking back at Marius, who was smiling. "That clasp, that you are wearing, will protect you, Squall. My clan has enemies just like any other person. We have jealous vampires who try to harm us. Especially me and my children. I give each of my children a clasp to wear that will protect you. Yours is the Lionheart symbol. The same symbol that is on that ring of yours."

Squall reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. "My father's ring." He looked back at Marius. "How did you know about it?"

Marius shook his head. "If there was one thing I knew the most, it's about the Loire Family. I've met your ancestors before, Squall. I know all about your family. What they were and what they are." He told him. Squall just stared at him in confusion. What did that mean?

Just then, Seifer walked in. Marius turned a dark look onto him but said nothing about him entering. Squall just looked from one to the other. "Marius, they're here." Seifer said coldly.

Marius gave a low growl of annoyance. His fangs baring. "Those impudent fools." He turned his eyes onto Squall. "Squall, you need to feed. But I'm afraid we have been rudely interrupted. We will feed later." He said starting towards the door.

Squall looked from Marius to Seifer. "What's wrong?"

Seifer snorted as he folded his arms. "I suppose Marius hasn't told you yet."

Marius turned around. "No I haven't, Seifer." He turned to Squall. "We have all kinds of enemies, Squall. Human enemies, which are mostly vampire hunters. We have vampire enemies, who are only rivaling clans. And then there are witches. Sorceresses who call theirselves vampire hunters too but they have powers. If you ever come across a witch, never feed off of them."

Squall stared. "Why?"

Seifer shook his head impatiently. "Their blood is like poison, Lionheart. You feed from them, you're going to die very slowly and painfully." He said. Marius nodded. "I had hoped that we could teach you about your vampiric powers, but I'm afraid it will have to wait. Come meet the witches, Squall." He said, walking towards the door.

Squall pulled on his trench coat as he began to follow only to stop because Seifer was blocking his path. "Look, I don't like you and you certainly don't like me. However, you're apart of this clan now so I'm just going to give you advice. Use your instincts if we have to fight. The witches are bad news to all vampires. No matter who they are. They hate us and we hate them. Protect Marius if you have to. He dies by the witches, we're all in trouble." He told him before he turned and walked out. Squall stared coldly at his back before he followed.

The three vampires stepped out of the tomb into the dark night, with only torches as the light. The other vampires were all sitting or standing in front of the doors, as if they were guarding it. They moved aside to let Marius through. Marius stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Seifer had pushed through the other vampires, pulling Squall along and they both stood behind Marius, almost like bodyguards.

There was a large group of people standing right in front of the vampires. They all had different styles of clothing and different colors.  
The leader was a tall and thin woman, yet she was exceedingly beautiful. She had black hair, yet it was pulled up tightly into a bun. She was wearing a deep purple gown with long opera gloves. And to her side, stood Ellone.

Squall's eyes lit up just at the sight of her. He had not expected to see her at all. She was wearing a white body suit with a black belt. Strapped to her side was a silver bladed sword. Her short black hair was slick back. She was looking directly at Squall, but there was no surprise in her eyes. Only sadness and hopelessness. Marius had seen her too, but he ignored her. He was looking at the leader with grim. "Edea." He greeted coldly.

The woman narrowed her yellow cat like eyes at him. "Marius." She then looked at Squall. "We've come for Leonhart Loire. Hand him over to us now."

Squall tensed and he was sure that Seifer and Marius was well aware of it. Marius just smirked coldly as he slid his hands into his pockets. "You're too late, Edea Kramer. He's one of us. He's become a vampire."

Edea's mouth parted with anger. "You bastard. How dare you do this to him. You had no right! He was not to be a blood sucking barbarian!" She hissed. Hisses broke out from behind Squall. He knew that it was the vampires, his dark brothers and sisters.  
"Who says, you? The bitch leader of the Black Magic Circle?! He's got a better life ahead of him, Edea! He will never die, never grow old like a pathetic human! What were you going to make him into, hmm?! A hunter like his ancestors had once been?" Marius hissed.

Squall was a little surprised to hear that. He looked at Seifer, who glanced back. They turned their attention back to the other group. Edea glared at Marius. "You have destroyed another innocent life, Marius! We order you to hand him over! He belongs with us! What the council decides to do with him now, it will be his fate!" She snapped.

Marius growled an inhuman growl. "You lie, Edea. You are the head of the council. Tell me now! Tell Squall Lionheart what you will do with him if I was to hand him over to you! You would slay him, wouldn't you?!" He snarled.

"His name is Squall Leonhart Loire, Winhill!" Edea spat.

Marius narrowed his eyes dangerously. "Answer me, witch! What would you have done to him!" He snarled.

Edea glared at him before she looked at Ellone. Ellone looked pained but she stepped forward, not looking around. "Squall Leonhart Loire...it has been decided that if you have become a vampire, you are to be slain. You have become a monster, a creature of darkness." she had said the words with no emotion. But then she sighed as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, Squall. But I must free you from your suffering." She said then lowered her gaze.

A few eyes had turned to Squall as he remained emotionless. Deep inside he had been wounded by those words she had said. He felt hurt. But he knew that it wouldn't have mattered. Squall Leonhart Loire was no longer who he was. He was damned and there wasn't anything he could do to help that. So he just remained emotionless, lifeless. He only stared at Ellone with his cold, dead blue eyes. "It's too late, Ellone, for me. The Squall you once knew is dead."  
Ellone looked pained at this.  
"I am no longer Squall Leonhart. I am Squall Lionheart, the vampire. I'm sorry, Elle. But there's nothing you can do to change that." Squall shook his head. "Leave me to my damned life. You tried to save me before but it's too late. My sweet cousin, forget me. I am no one to you now." He turned his face away.

Ellone closed her eyes as she lowered her head. The others glared though. Edea narrowed her eyes dangerously. "You have chosen to side with evil, Leonhart Loire, therefore you will die." She looked to the others. "Kill him and the others." she ordered.

That was then hell broke loose.

The witches lunged forward, spells in hands. The vampires snarled and leaped forward to meet them. Marius just stood there. Squall stood right behind him as he watched the chaos break loose. It surprised him to see such hatred and rage in his cousin's eyes as she pulled her sword and swung at a vampire.

Squall jumped when a spell came flying at him. He ducked under it, taking refuge in the doorway of the tomb. Vampires and witches were just battling viciously against one another. Vampires slashing at the witches with long fingernails and the witches were throwing devastating spells. The leaders, Marius and Edea were standing off to the side, just glaring at one another. Their battle would soon begin. But Squall didn't watch them. He was watching Ellone. His eyes narrowing in disbelief. Ellone was moving very quickly for a human. She was slashing through vampires, moving with such grace. She didn't even have a spot of blood on her as she slashed through the vampires. Squall couldn't help but stare at his cousin with awe. He had never seen her move or fight like this. Where had she learned it all?

Just then a vampire slapped the blade out of her hands and lashed out, catching her by the neck. Ellone gasped as the vampire bared his fangs at her. "Hello, beauty! Let's see if you are witch or human!" The vampire hissed as he pulled her closer, getting ready to bite her.

Suddenly, there was a blur and someone grabbed the vampire from behind, shoving him off of Ellone. Ellone fell to her knees, gasping for air. She looked up just in time to watch Squall pick the vampire up and throw him against a tree. There was a loud crack and the tree fell down. Squall spun around and gathered Ellone up into his arms. "Ellone." He whispered to her. He then hissed at some vampires that came closer as if to help Squall feed off of his cousin. All eyes were on him with shock.

Marius quickly pushed through glaring. "Squall! Kill her now! This is your chance to feed!" He yelled to him.

Squall whipped his head around to glare at him. "No! I will not take her life! Nor will any of you! I will accept what you did to me, Marius! But never ask me to take the life of one of my family!" He snarled. He then picked Ellone up, princess style and then quickly vanished into the darkness.

Seifer growled as he looked over at Marius. "I told you making him into a vampire was a mistake!" He snarled. Marius snarled right back at him. "Silence! He has not gone far! Let him alone for a while! He will come back!"

Squall ran as far as he could away from that place. His speed was surprising him as he went. He had not expected to be this fast. He could feel Ellone's face buried into his chest as she held him tighter. Then finally he stopped. He had stopped a few miles away from the town of Dollet, in a forest. He looked down at Ellone, who was trembling in fear. He could hear her crying. Pity was growing inside of him but then vampire side in him kicked in. He could see her neck very well. He could feel the hunger just rising up inside of him. So Squall did what he had to do. He roughly pushed Ellone away from, backing away from her. Ellone gasped as she nearly stumbled at being dropped and pushed like that.

Squall had turned his back onto her so he didn't look at her. He was struggling with his vampiric side now. "Just because I saved your life, Ellone, doesn't mean I haven't forgotten what you said to me." He said in a very low voice. He then growled as he turned and punched through a tree. "Damn it, Ellone!" He exclaimed. Ellone flinched heavily from the rage. Squall turned around, his eyes slightly glowing red from anger. "I'm your god damned cousin!" He yelled at her.

Ellone just shied away from him, turning her fear into anger. "Squall! Watch your mouth! What would your mother say if she..." She was saying.

Squall growled, his fangs plain in sight. "Thanks to Marius, I don't have a mother! She's not around anymore because of him, Ellone!" He shook his head. "Elle, I didn't have a choice! Marius wouldn't give me a choice if I was going to be a vampire or not!" He snarled.

Ellone had tears in her eyes as she watched him just lash out in anger. "But, Squall. You kept saying that you wanted to be a vampire when you were a child. You asked..." She was interrupted by Squall again. He laughed coldly. "Oh, yeah! I wanted to be a vampire, Elle! I was 10 years old and childish! I was only a kid teasing his uptight cousin! And Marius was an asshole for believing that I wanted to be a vampire! I was turned against my will, Ellone." He then touched his fangs. "What, you think I would want to kill people just live?! Look at me, Ellone! I've become a monster! You think I wanted that?!" He shook his head. "Use your head, Elle! My mother was against horror stories! She got mad at me every time I pretended to be a vampire!"

Ellone stared at him with pain. "Oh, Squall. I just...I just wanted to save you. I don't want to see you suffer. Your immortal now. You will live forever in suffering. Do you want to watch everyone around you die while you stay 18 forever? Do you want to see your father in so much pain?"

Squall glared at her. "Elle, I just...I'm dead. I think it's best you just forget. You and my father must forget me. Take care of him for me. Don't let him know what I've become. Let him believe that I'm gone." He turned away. "Goodbye, sweet cousin." He then walked away into the darkness.

Ellone watched him with pain before she lowered her head and cried.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I really appreciate all the nice things you guys are saying about this story. Anyway, let's move on. **

**Chapter 4.**

They hadn't seen one another for a whole year now. Squall was Marius's student, learning everything to know about being a vampire. When he returned to Marius that fateful night, Squall had his first taste of human blood. Marius had taken him to Deling City to hunt for his first victim. He had taught Squall how to lure in his prey and what to do while drinking from them. Squall was also very careful about who he chose to kill. He learned that as a vampire, he could read almost minds. So he used his telepathy to see what people that were criminals. He always fed on bad people. Murderers, rapists, any kind of bad person that did not deserve to live.

He also lived with the vampires in a hidden manor in the Centra. Most of Marius's dark sons and daughters lived in the manor. A lot of them really annoyed Squall. He could not have a decent conversation with any of them.

It was also crawling with werewolves. Squall had learned that the werewolves were there as guardians of the vampires while they slept during the day.  
One werewolf in particular happened to be a man named Rajin. He was Seifer's best friend. Another vampire by the name of Fujin was his other friend. The three of them were always together. Squall could always see them. And when Seifer wasn't with them, he was fighting with Squall. He liked to pick on him a lot. They were always snapping remarks at each other and sometimes Marius had to get violent in trying to break them up. Though it wouldn't last very long at all.

Squall and Seifer, strangely, were a like. They were both Gunbladers. The only Gunbladers of the clan. So when they resolved their differences in sparring together. They would take their anger out on each other by using their Gunblades. Of course, they didn't actually try to kill each other. It was only a good thing that vampires had remarkable healing powers so if one of them would slash one another they would heal up quickly. Of course, they would end up having to take a very long break and go to feed to replace the blood they spilt. Things between them never grew any more violent or friendlier.

After a whole year had gone by, Marius asked Squall to do the terrible. He had requested that Squall feed on a child. Of course, Squall refused to do it. He had promised himself that he would never harm a woman or a child. Only the wickedest of men. He regretted it that he couldn't stop Marius in killing the child. Out of spite of his refusal, Marius killed the child right in front of Squall. And that made the young vampire very bitter against his maker. Things only grew worst when Marius, once again, asked him to feed on someone that Squall could never do.

Feed on a man that Squall did know, very well.

It was a very dark night. The sky was hidden behind dark clouds and they could barely see the light of the moon. Squall was once again, hunting with Marius and Seifer in Deling City's park. The city was their favorite playground. For that were where the most people were, and the most wicked. Squall was keeping his vampiric senses sharp, searching for a wicked man. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen that night. He didn't know what it was, but it was bad.

Marius suddenly halted as he stepped out from under the dark trees, just standing there with a strange expression on his face. A wicked smirk then spread out on his face as he turned to face Squall and Seifer.

"I have found the perfect prey."

Squall and Seifer just looked at one another before looking back at Marius. "Seifer, bring him here. But do not harm him. Do what you must to bring him here. But he must remain unspoiled." Marius said. Seifer nodded before slowly going off into the darkness.

Squall and Marius were now alone, under the dark trees. "Marius, what prey is this? It better not be a child again. I have told you I will not..." Squall was saying. Marius held up a hand. "Relax, my son. It is no child. I know how you are about feeding on children and women. You will see your prey soon enough."

They had to wait for almost an half an hour before Seifer returned. He had brought a man with him. A man that had made Squall tense in seeing.

The man was very tall and he had long black hair that fell over his shoulders. He had dark eyes that shined with a childish glint. His face extremely handsome. He was wearing dark brown pants and a white tank top under a dark blue blazer jacket. Dog tags hung on a ball chain around his neck. The face of the man matched Squall's very well, for it his father. Laguna Loire.

Squall stepped back in alarm as he turned a look onto Marius. "Marius, is this a joke?!" He demanded.

Marius smirked as he watched a shocked look form on Laguna's face as he looked straight at Squall. "Why? Do you find it funny?"

Laguna just stared at Squall with wide eyes, and a wide-open jaw. "Squall?! Is that you?!" He asked as he quickened his pace. Squall didn't know what to say. He just stood there in silence. Laguna was only a few feet away from him when the young vampire quickly stepped back. "Stay away from me!" He said sharply. Laguna halted, looking at Squall with surprise. "Squall, what's wrong?"

Squall just shook his head as he backed away. He saw the confused look on Seifer's face. Apparently Seifer didn't know who this man was. Squall shook his head. "Just stay from me, please."

Marius smirked as he looked at him. "Don't you like the reunion, Squall? I thought you would be happy to see your father. Of course, if you really wish it, you could always change him. He would make such a good companion for you for the rest of your immortal life."

Squall snarled in his direction, his fangs bared. "Marius! This isn't funny! I would never curse my father the way you cursed me!" He growled.

Laguna was staring at Squall in shock before his eyes darkened and he glared right at Marius. "You bastard. So this is what Ellone meant when she told me that you were responsible for Squall's death." He growled, his fists balling up. Squall looked right at him in surprise.

Marius only looked at him with a sneer. "You know, Loire. You should blame yourself. You should have been watching your son instead of watching me."

Squall looked from his father to Marius. "What's going on here?"

Marius smirked coldly. "Have you not guessed, my son?"

Laguna swore angrily at hearing that. "He's not your son, Marius Winhill! He was mine! And you took him from me! I should slay you right now!" He yelled. Squall looked at Laguna, sharply. What did he mean by that?

Seifer then hissed. "He's a slayer!" he snarled. That surprised Squall more. Marius only nodded. "I know he's a vampire slayer, Seifer. I've always known. He's a Loire. One of the most ancient families that hunted and slayed vampires. Laguna, here, has been hunting me his entire life, just like his father before him."

Squall looked at Laguna with shock. "Dad? Is that true?" He asked, quite stunned. Laguna just continued to glare with hatred at Marius. "Squall, I will explain later. But right now, you need to get out of here."

Marius shook his head. "No, Loire. Why not explain to him now? Tell him what you were really doing that night I took him from your home. We have all the time we need. Seifer and I will not kill you just yet." Laguna just glared saying nothing. Marius's eyes narrowed and his expression grew vile. "He abandoned you, Squall, that night! He was going after me! He left you unprotected just to get me!"

Laguna gave a loud growl. "I did not! I would never abandon my son! I was going after you to stop you from harming him! Don't you lie to Squall, Marius!" He yelled.

Marius only threw his head back and laughed. Squall looked at Laguna with a hurt look. Laguna had known all along. He had known that Marius was a vampire. But he had done nothing about it. "You knew all this time. You knew that Marius was a vampire. Did you know he killed mom? That he killed Aunt River and Uncle Garret? And you did nothing?!"

Laguna looked at him, a pained look on his face. "That's not true, Squall. I did try everything I could to kill him. When your mother died, Squall, I knew exactly who was responsible." He shot Marius a deadly look. "I tried to find him to kill him! Where were you hiding, Marius!" He demanded.

The vampire only grinned wickedly. "Somewhere where you couldn't find me. And now look at it, Loire. Look at what you have done. You didn't tell Squall your most ancient secret and you left him that night just to search my house for my coffin with those jokes you call friends!" He laughed harshly. "It's your fault that I got a hold of your son! It's your fault that I changed him into what you kill! Now look at this situation, Laguna Loire. Your son is a vampire and you are a vampire slayer. It's your job to kill vampires. So, why don't you try to kill him?"

A deep pained look formed on Laguna's face now. He looked right at Squall. His eyes lit in surprise when he saw Squall pulled his Gunblade, glaring towards him. Squall rushed forward and around a flinching Laguna as he held up his Gunblade, blocking Seifer's Hyperion that he had been swinging at Laguna.

With a loud clang, the blades met. "Don't you dare touch my father, Seifer!" Squall hissed as he threw Seifer right off him.

Seifer snarled at him as he went back at Squall. "If you protect a hunter, you will never be welcomed back to the clan, Lionheart! Not even Marius will be able to save you from our brothers and sisters!" He snarled. Squall snarled back as he ducked under the blade. "The name is Leonhart! And those monsters are not my brothers and sisters!" He swung back at Seifer, who backed away was the other vampire came close to slashing him.

"Laguna! Watch out!"

Laguna spun around and jumped back in time to dodge Marius's long fingernails that came slashing at him. He quickly lashed out behind him and pulled out a handgun that had been hidden under his jacket. He aimed at Marius and began to fire. Marius moved extremely fast to dodge the bullets. Laguna just kept firing at Marius until he was out of bullets. Swearing, he opened the clip and tossed the old one out.

Marius however charged again, slashing Laguna across the chest.

"Ahh!" The hunter cried out as he staggered back.

Marius rose his claws again to slash down when suddenly there was whistle in the air and a blade slashed him across the back. The vampire hissed in pain as he quickly leaped into the air, onto a tree branch. Laguna looked up to see his best friend, Kiros standing next to him. "What took you so long, damn it!" He said with a grin. Kiros held up his hand blades and grinned right back. "Ward." He simply said.

And that when a large built man appeared holding a crossbow with silver arrows. He began firing at Marius up in the tree. Marius yelled with pain as one stuck right into his shoulder. He leaped into the air and vanished. The three men turned around to watch Squall's fight.

Squall ducked under Seifer's blade and then spun in a circle to slash him from the side. Unfortunately, Seifer lashed out his free hand and caught his arm. Then he swung his Gunblade to thrust into Squall's back.

"Squall!" Laguna yelled as he started to charge.

Suddenly there was a scream and a fireball came flying out of nowhere, colliding with Seifer. Seifer went flying to the side, releasing Squall. Squall quickly took this chance to spin around and slash at Seifer. He sliced right into Seifer's right arm. "AHHH!" Seifer yelled as he staggered back and held his arm. He backed away as fast as he could. There was a murderous look in Seifer's eyes as he quickly swooped down and snatched up his gunblade. "You're going to pay, Squall! I am going to kill you!" He screamed at him before he turned and dashed into the darkness.

Squall just stood there, holding his gunblade tightly in his hand. He turned around to see who had thrown the spell and saw Ellone, standing there.

Seeing her surprised Squall but then he frowned darkly. She didn't flinch. She only looked at him seriously as she walked over. Squall turned his dead blue eyes onto Laguna, who stood right by Kiros and Ward. They were all looking at him, with serious looks.

"Squall, I'm going to ask you just this once. Did you ask Marius for this?!" His father asked in a very stern tone.

Squall glared. "No! I did not! I don't want to be a vampire, dad! Do you honestly think I want to drink blood to live?!" he then pulled a very outraged look. "What about you?! Why didn't you tell me you were a hunter?! You could have told me and this would have never happened! You knew Marius was a vampire! How long?!" He demanded.

Laguna sighed and turned away. He was quiet for a long time. "I'm so sorry, Squall. Marius was right. It is my fault. I should have told you." He lowered his head, sounding pained. "I've known all about Marius since I was 18. When I came of the age to become a hunter. My father told me what he was." He turned back to look at Squall. "Squall, I am a Paranormal Investigator, just like my father had been. And his father before him. I keep tabs on vampires, lycans, shape shifters..." He paused looking at Ellone. "Witches." He finished. He looked back at Squall. "I was going to tell you, Squall. But things just got so hectic. Vampires were killing people left and right, here in Deling City and that was why I left you and Ellone with your grandfather. I had to help the Black Magic Circle fight them."

Squall tilted his head, still looking hard at his father. "Why didn't you stop Marius that night?"

Laguna sighed as he looked at Kiros, who looked back. The black man then stepped forward. "Squall, you have to understand something. Your father did try to stop Marius. He had to meet me and Ward, here. We broke into his house to search for Marius. We were trying to kill him before he could do anything." He told him.

Laguna nodded as he looked back at Squall. "When we couldn't find him, we were hurrying back to the house to check on you. Then the house blew up." There was pain in his voice again. "I thought you were dead, Squall. I thought you had been in the house." His voice cracked then he shook his head as he stared at his son. "Ellone came to me that night you were changed. She told me that it had been Marius who killed you. She just didn't tell me how he killed you. I thought he just sucked you dry and the blew up the house with you in it. Do you know how much I was hurting that night?" He asked, his voice raising just a little.

Squall sighed as he looked away. "I'm sorry." His own voice cracked.

Laguna shook his head. "For an entire year, I thought you were dead, Squall. Until just last week when Edea came right up to me and told me that you were a damn vampire. I didn't believe her though. I thought she must have been mistaken." he said sounding very upset. He looked away taking a deep breath to try to calm down.

Ellone stepped closer. "Uncle Laguna, don't be angry please."

Laguna looked at her. "Elle, I have every right to be angry. You told me he was dead. I believed that. And then I find out that he's undead. That was not fair to me!" He said in a scolding way.

Ellone looked away. Kiros stepped closer and touched his shoulder. "That's enough, Laguna. Calm down." He ignored the look he got from Laguna. He only looked at Squall. "Squall, we managed to talk to Edea about you, since we found out about your being transformation. She won't have it that you're alive and are the enemy. But we managed to make her change her mind about you. But that is if you cooperate."

Squall looked confused. "Cooperate? With what?"

Laguna looked back at him. "I managed to talk Edea and the Black Magic Circle council to let you live. As long as you side with us, you're free to go. But that means no killing people." He told him. Squall blinked a few times. "But I need blood to live. I've only fed on people that deserves to die, Dad."

Kiros finally nodded as he stepped forward. "We understand that, Squall. And believe us, we know those people deserved to die. But the council doesn't want a vampire around that will kill to live."

Squall growled a low growl. "What am I suppose to do then? I've tried to eat to normal food but I can't. My body just won't go for just normal food."

Laguna nodded as he looked at Ward with a nod. The big man began digging into a bag at his large waist. "We know that, Squall. That's why we fixed that little problem for you." He said. Squall looked confused. "What?"

Ward stepped forward, holding up a package of blood. He tossed it towards Squall, who caught it. Squall only looked at it. "Drink it, Squall. It might not be warm as it is fresh, but it should satisfy your thirst." Laguna told him then he chucled, making Squall look up at the smirk that grew on his father's face. "Of course, if you really want it warm, you could heat it up in a microwave."

Squall rolled his eyes and shook his head. Kiros, Ward and Ellone all laughed. The vampire then smirked right back at him before he sunk his fangs into the plastic and began drain the blood.

After he drained all of it, he tossed the bag away and licked the remaining blood from his lips and fangs. Laguna and Ellone both winced at watching him doing that but Kiros and Ward didn't. They only looked at Laguna and Ellone in pity. "That's disgusting, Squall. You could have drank it when we weren't looking." Laguna said.

Squall only shrugged. "Hey, next time tell me."

The other two men just smiled and shook their heads. Laguna just looked at Squall in concern. "That just hurts me to see you like this though, Squall." He said. Squall looked at him. He could tell that his condition was hurting his father deeply. He shook his head as he stepped closer and put his hand on his father's shoulder in a comforting way.

Kiros folded his arms. "So, Squall. What's your choice? You with us or against us?"

Squall at each person before nodding. "I'm with you. I will never be my father's enemy. Marius changed me against my will and I will pay him back. He will one day regret that he ever made me into a vampire." He said darkly. Laguna smiled at him in a proud way. "You may be undead, Squall, but you're still my son. Welcome aboard." The others nodded with smiles. Squall just nodded. He had become the vampire that hunted vampires.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

Squall blinked back to reality when he realized someone was opening his black door to his room. He turned around and looked at who it had been.  
It was Ellone.  
She was looking in the room, before her eyes found Squall. She was wearing her white body suit like always and her sword strapped to her waist. She looked much older than she had a long time ago. She had reached the age of 25 and Squall remained 18.

"Good evening, Squall. Are you ready to go?"

Squall gave her a light nod as he moved towards her, picking up his Lionheart Gunblade as he went. "Yes." was his only reply.

Ellone watched him with a concerned look on her face. "Are you all right?" She asked. Squall looked at her as he strapped his gunblade to his waist. "Yes. Why do you ask?" He asked. Ellone shook her head. "It's just I knocked at least twenty times and you wouldn't answer. It just worried me, that's all."

Squall looked at her for a few seconds before he grabbed his black leather jacket and pulled it on. "It was nothing. I was just lost in my thoughts, that's all." he said in a low voice.

Ellone slowly nodded. "I see."

In fact she had seen. She knew that when Squall went into his deep thought mode, he was thinking about how it all began. How he had become something he hated the most. He was a vampire and he hated it. He hated the man that had killed him and made him into a monster.  
So for ten years, he still remained 18 years old while everyone else aged like a normal person. And he was still hunting for the one that had made him this way. He had sworn on his immortal life that he would kill Marius Winhill.

The two of them stepped out of the apartment Squall was staying in and made their way down to the stairs. Squall was emotionless as always. He only glanced over at Ellone as they went down the stairs. "What does the Council want this time?" He asked finally. Ellone only shook her head. "I'm not sure. They just wanted me to bring you along. I think they're introducing the new Society that had just gathered."

Squall gave a low growl as he pushed the door opened and lead his cousin to his black convertible sitting in front of the apartment buildings. "I hate these kind of meetings." He growled as he unlocked her side before going to the driver's side.

Ellone shook her head. "I know, Squall. But they are important. We must deal with them." She said. Squall only started up the engine and they sped along down the road.

Later, at the meeting, Squall was just sitting in the way back, messing around with his Gunblade to keep himself occupied. Ellone had been right. The Black Magic Circle was introducing a new society of Sorceresses and hunters. A group that called theirselves the White Magic Circle. Their leader was a man by the name of Jonathan Caraway. He happened to the general of the Galbadian Army. He was telling everyone about what he had in his society and the leaders of the Circles would soon be signing a peace treaty, so they could be united together.

Squall was getting very irritated by having to listen to nothing but jibber jabber. He was trying his best to hide his annoyance but even a vampire had his limits.

The lights had started to flicker, making Caraway falter. Immediately eyes turned onto Squall, those who knew it was him. Edea rolled her eyes as she stood up and gently touched Caraway on the arm. "Excuse me for interrupting, Jonathan." She said softly before looking towards Squall, who was looking at her dully. "Yes, Squall. You may go now." She said. Squall only nodded as he stood up and slid his Gunblade into its place. He turned and stormed out, not leaving before he heard Edea say to Caraway, "Forgive Squall, Jonathan. He doesn't like meetings."

Squall was doing his patrol in the west side of the city, near the train station. He was wearing his Lionheart Gunblade on his belt. He had many thoughts on his mind that night.

He was thinking about his old past, of how everything started. He was also thinking his father. Laguna had aged a little but still had the childish glint in his eyes. Squall couldn't even understand his father. Laguna was just so childish and clumsy. He acted like he was stupid in public but when it came to battles he turned into a serious, graceful fighter. Sometimes Squall didn't understand him. Even if he was a vampire and he could read the minds of mortals very well, he couldn't with his own father.

As Squall walked down the street, he began to pick up something. Something close by. He stopped to smell the air and all got was a human scent and werewolves. Even though Squall hunted vampires he could still take care of those blood thirsty hound dogs. He had killed plenty of them before. Most of the ones that he had killed were associated with Marius. But he had never caught up with his maker or Seifer since their last meeting. He had killed a fair few of his dark brothers and sisters when he found them but never met his maker.

It was like Marius had completely disappeared along with Seifer.

Squall looked around before he used his vampiric speed to find out where he could smell the lycans. He ran around trees until he came to almost the middle of the park, where he stopped to hide behind a tree. Squall peered around the trunk and spied four lycans around a young teen, possibly 18 years old.

The young man had yellow blonde hair, the bangs sticking up a little. He was wearing blue cargo shorts and a black tank top under a short sleeved jacket. And on the young man's left side of his face were a wicked black tattoo, running down from his forehead to his chin. The young man looked was built just right for a fighter. And Squall could immediately sense that this human was a lot stronger than he looked. But he knew that he would be no match for four lycans. It was a possibility that he could take out one by himself but four, impossible.

So Squall decided that he would interfere.

He calmly slid his Lionheart gunblade out of his belt and held it tightly in his hand as he quietly stepped out from behind the tree. He was just about to make his move, when he stopped. His eyes lit up just a little as he watched a lycan rush the blonde, who was standing in a fighting position. The blonde didn't look afraid at all. It was like he was used to this sort of thing. The lycan snarled as it rose its claws to slash him.  
With extreme grace and agility, the blonde spun on his heel, ducking to the side as the claw came down. He then threw his fist hard into the lycan's stomache making it roar in pain. The blonde moved again, spinning around the lycan before kicking his foot up high and then bringing his heel down hard on the lycan's back. It fell very hard. And that was the que for two of the other lycans to charge. The blonde spun around with gritted teeth and raised fists. He knew he was in trouble now.

But before any of the lycans could even touch him, they both yelped and leaped back. And Squall appeared right between them and the blonde, his blade ready. He had moved forward and slashed both lycans in the back.

The blonde looked astonished to see this young man in black appear out of nowhere. But then he just snapped back to a defensive stance just as the werewolves were charging again. Squall jerked to the side before slashing one of the lycan's side with his blade making it roar in pain. The blonde had jumped up high and sent his knee right into the attacking lycan's side. Then he put his hands together and hit the lycan hard from behind, sending it flying to the ground. If only he had seen the fourth lycan coming at him. It moved fast when the blonde wasn't looking and hit him from behind.

"Ow!" The blonde cried out as he landed into the dirt on his stomache. He didn't wait a second to catch his air. He just flipped onto his back and kicked up hard, his foot catching the lycan in the head. It went flying.

The blonde gasped for air now that he had a chance before flipping over onto his knees to get up but stopped when he saw a human head sitting right there. "AHHH!" He cried out jumping away from it. He then looked over at the body of a headless man lying in the dirt. It wasn't the fighter in black. It was someone else. The blonde saw movement coming at him again and so he quickly jumped to his feet and moved back just as a meaty, hairy fist slammed into the ground. He had to jump back again when the other one came at him. But it never came any closer because Squall appeared right between the blonde and the lycan again.

With a snarl, the vampire leaped forward, seizing the lycan by the jugular. The lycan yipped but couldn't do anything else as his jugular was just ripped out. He fell to the ground, dead. Squall spun around when he heard a snarl from behind him. It was the last lycan coming at him.

Squall only glanced at the blonde, who was just dodging the other lycan's claws. "You fool! Kill it already!" He yelled before he turned to face the last lycan.

The blonde only looked at him before dodging the claws. He quickly spun behind the lycan and jumped onto its shoulders. The lycan only snarled and tried to throw him off.  
Before it could do anything else, the blonde flipped over the lycan, bringing it with him to the ground and then twisted his thighs sharply. With a loud crack, the lycan's neck had snapped and it laid lifeless on the ground. The blonde shoved the dead werewolf off of his leg and stood up to watch the fighter in black. He gasped as he watched Squall thrust his gunblade into the last lycan's chest and force him to his knees.

There was a very long silence between Squall and the lycan. He just glared down at the werewolf with a growl in his throat. The lycan began to transform into a man right before him, his head lowered. It was one that Squall knew well. He could see the blonde just standing there in shock but he ignored him. He only growled as he glared down at the lycan before him. "So, it is you, Rajin. I thought I'd run into you again. I should have known it was you. I could smell you from Main street."

The lycan growled with pain before he looked up into the vampire's dead stormy eyes. "H-hey there, Lionheart. Long time, no see, ya know. I...I was hoping we didn't have to run into each other again." He managed to say.

Squall smirked coldly down at him. "I should kill you because you attacked a human, but before I do, I have some questions that you better answer." Rajin shivered in pain as he touched the blade in his chest. He closed one eye, hissing in pain as Squall pushed the blade deeper. "Don't even think about it."

"L-look, Lionheart. It'd be better if you didn't ask me any questions, 'cause I don't know anything." Rajin said.

Squall just tweaked his blade a little making the lycan grunt in pain. "I don't think so. I think it would be better if I did ask. And if you don't answer, I will make this even more painful." he said as he used his free hand to get into his pocket, pulling out small silver blades.

Rajin's eyes flashed with fear. "Aw, come on, ya know! I'm just a lackey!" He whined.

Squall shook his head. "You're Seifer's little lapdog, Rajin. And Seifer is Marius's. Where are they?!" He growled.

Rajin gasped as Squall pushed his blade deeper. He couldn't help but cry out in pain. "Ser-seriously...I...I don't know! Mar-Marius has been...he's been moving around lately, ya know!" He gasped. "As for Seifer, I can't tell you!"

Squall growled inhumanly as he glared at him. "You better tell me, Rajin or I will kill you slowly!" He then sensed something familiar behind him and it made him jerk his head around to see who it was.

That was all Rajin needed. He quickly shoved himself off of Squall's blade, making the vampire spin back around with surprise. But before the vampire could do anything, Rajin lashed out while he was transforming again, catching him by the neck. Squall snarled as he tried to slash him again but Rajin caught the hand holding the blade and force it away. Rajin snarled at Squall's face as he lift him off the ground. He began to squeeze Squall's neck as if to break it. "Get ready to die, hunter!" He roared in his face.

And that was when the blonde made his move.

The blonde rushed forward while balling up his fists. He jumped forward and sank his fist into the lycan's stomache close the wound that the gunblade had created. Rajin snarled in pain and then threw Squall into a nearby tree with a loud crunch. He then charged after the blonde, who quickly moved back as fast as he could. But not fast enough because the lycan had slashed at him, nicking his chest. The blonde hissed in pain as he jumped back. Rajin charged again, swinging his claws. This time, the blonde caught his arm and flipped him right over his shoulder. The lycan hit the ground with a thunderous crash.

Squall shook off the dizziness from the impact of the tree. He hissed angrily as he forced himself to stand up, grabbing his blade. He turned to see the blonde send a kick right into Rajin's side while he was still down.

Snarling, the vampire started forward to attack Rajin again, but without warning, a dagger flew into the ground, stopping Squall from moving. He immediately looked up and snarled at who he saw on a high branch of a tree.

Seifer.

The blonde vampire was smirking his original smirk. The one that Squall hated the most. He was wearing all black and his favorite white silver trench coat. He hadn't changed that much in ten years. He was also holding his Hyperion. "Hello, Lionheart! Nice to see you again!"

Squall snarled in Seifer's direction as he tightened his grip on his Lionheart. "Seifer!" He yelled. He was going to leap up into the tree to begin a battle with Seifer but suddenly someone slammed into him.  
Both, Squall and the blonde human crashed to the ground, knocking the Gunblade out of the vampire's hand.

Seifer just laughed harshly as he watched Squall shove the blonde off of him and get back to his feet. "I see you still fall for humans, Squall! You were a fool for joining the witches and the hunters!" He tsked as he watched Squall just snarled at the blonde, who was trying to get to his feet, though very clumsy like. "Sad, very sad. You protect humans though they are so worthless. Marius really did want you to stay with him. But now that you're a hunter, you will die."

Squall just sent the blonde human a glare before turning his glare onto Seifer. "You will die by my hand, Seifer! As will Marius!" He said coldly.

Seifer looked over at Rajin who had jumped up into the tree, clutching his wound. They both looked back at Squall. "We'll see you around, Squall." Then they disappeared into the shadows.

Squall hissed angrily as he swooped down and snatched up his gunblade. With as much rage as he mustered, he turned and slashed the tree that he had crashed into before, cutting into it deeply. The blonde was brushing himself off before he turned his eyes onto the angry fighter. "Whoa! You gonna be okay?" He asked. Squall shot him a look before he rushed at him. The blonde started as he watched the fighter in black appear right in front of him. He gave a cry as Squall just lifted the blonde up by the front of his shirt, off the ground. His fangs bared and his eyes slightly red. The blonde yelped in fear and tried to free himself but Squall's grip was way too strong.

"You fool! Do you know what you just did?! You nearly gotten yourself killed and not to mention, you got in my way! I could have...!" Squall was yelling.

The blonde cringed a little. "Dude, I'm sorry! But put me down!" He yelled right back at him. Squall only glared coldly at him with his fangs baring up at him.

"Squall! Put him down right this instant!" Someone yelled.

Squall immediately dropped the blonde, who almost fell to his knees. He quickly backed away from the outraged vampire, massaging his neck and looking very scared. Squall just turned around and saw Laguna, Ellone, Kiros and Ward hurrying towards them. All of them looked alarmed at Squall's behavior.

"Squall Leonhart Loire! What is the matter with you?! You know better than to attack a human!" Laguna cried out as he stopped right next to his son.

Squall just looked away, glaring off into the darkness. Ellone put her hands on her hips as she glared at her cousin. "You are so lucky Edea wasn't here to see that! She would have you committed to death by just watching you do that!" She said in a very strict tone. Ward walked up to the blonde, who was still massaging his neck. He looked him over for any injuries but found only the scratchs on his chest.

"Squall, do you want to get into trouble? Attacking humans is against..." Kiros was saying.

Squall snarled as he turned away. "I didn't attack him! I saved his ass from some stupid lycans! He almost got himself killed and then he got into my way when I could have found out where Marius was hiding!" He snapped.

Laguna gave him a very scolding look. "Squall! You better watch your mouth! You could have killed this boy if..." He was saying.

"Wait! He's right!" The blonde suddenly spoke up. Everyone looked at him. "I put myself in danger. Don't blame him. He has every right to be angry." he said, as he looked at Squall's back. Squall slowly turned around and looked right at him. Those eyes scared the blonde a little. They were just so dead looking. They were so lifeless and so dark. But then again, they fascinated him.

Laguna stepped over towards the blonde. "Hey, kid. You're not hurt are you?" He asked. The blonde shook his head. "No. I'm all right. I was doing okay on my own against those werewolves. I mean, they were werewolves, right?"

The hunters all looked at one another before nodding. "Yeah. They were. Why are you in the park this late at night anyway? You could have been killed." Kiros asked before he folded his arms. "Besides, there's a curfew and you're breaking it. No one is allowed out this late at night." He said. The blonde shrugged. "I was looking for werewolves."

Squall narrowed his dark eyes at him. "Why in the hell were you doing that?" he asked seriously.

The blonde shrugged. "I don't know. I just wanted to see one. I hear them at night from my house but I never get to see them." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a camera. "Plus my friend, Irvine, didn't believe me that werewolves existed. I was just..." He was saying.

But Squall moved forward, snatching the camera from the blonde's hand and then crushed it. "Hey! What's the big idea!" The blonde yelled.

Squall tossed the broken camera aside. "You were stupid enough to pick a fight with lycans! You could have been killed! You were lucky that I was around!" He growled. Laguna scowled at him but then blew out a sigh. He looked at the blonde. "What's your name?" He asked. The blonde was glaring at Squall but he looked back at Laguna. "The name's Zell Dincht." He told him. Laguna nodded. "Well, Zell. I'm sorry to say it but he's right." He nodded to Squall. "You could have been killed just for trying to get proof that lycans are real. Plus, you would get into a lot of trouble. People aren't suppose to know about the lycans."

Zell rubbed his elbow. "Well, I was doing just fine before this guy decided to show up. I was kicking their asses." He said. Squall narrowed his eyes before he looked at Ellone. As if they understood each other's thoughts, Ellone nodded and looked back at Zell. Light surrounded Zell, making everyone look right at the young witch. Zell was just astonished.  
After a second Ellone looked at Squall. "You were right, Squall. He's not just any human." She said.

Zell squinted his eyes at her. "Huh?"

Laguna turned towards Ellone, looking very curious in deed. "What did you see, Elle?" He asked. Ellone looked back at Zell. "He has some amazing qualities, Uncle Laguna. His speed is above average for a normal human. And his strength almost matches yours."

Everyone looked a little surprised. Squall just narrowed his eyes before he stepped forward. "I'll be the judge of that."

Laguna looked at him sternly. "Don't even think about it, Squall. You could hurt him if you're not careful." Squall just ignored him as he just held up his gunblade and Zell just eyed the vampire suspiciously. Laguna sighed in defeat. "Fine. But be easy on him. That's just all we need is your pasty white ass in trouble with the council." He paused. "Again!"

Again, Squall ignored him.

The vampire kept his dark eyes were on Zell, who was staring at him. He glanced over at the others as they backed away to give them room. "What the heck is going on?" Zell asked nervously. Squall just looked him directly in the eye. "You're being tested. Dodge my blade. You manage to do that, you pass the test."

Zell tilted his head in confusion. "Test? Test for what?"

But the vampire didn't answer. He just used his vampiric speed to swing around behind Zell. "The test to prove yourself." And then he charged.

Zell jumped at the sound of his voice but quickly dodged as the blade came close to slashing him. Squall swung his blade again but Zell dodged again. Zell charged this time, swinging his fist only to hit empty air where Squall had been. He jerked to the side when he heard the blade whistle in the air as it came at him. With a growl, Zell swung right towards Squall's head. Again he hit empty air. The vampire was way too fast. He expected to see the blade slashing at him again but it didn't come again. He spun around to see where Squall had gone, but found him standing beside Laguna, sliding his gunblade into it's place. Zell just stared at him, standing ready just in case the Gunblader attacked again.

"What the hell was that all about?!" He demanded.

Squall just folded his arms and stared at him with an emotionless look. Ellone only smiled. "It was merely a test. Squall just wanted to see if you were worthy." She said. Zell blinked in surprise. "Huh? What?" He asked, lowering his fists.

Laguna looked at Squall, who wouldn't meet his eye. He then looked back at Zell. "It means, Squall thinks your worthy to be in the Circle. Of course, you'd have to face the council first. But it's also up to you." He said. Zell still looked confused. Squall rolled his eyes. He didn't blame the blonde to be so confused. His father wasn't really making any sense. "What do you know about vampires and werewolves?"

Everyone looked at him. Zell only stared but there was a glint in his eye. "Vampires and werewolves? I know all about them. At least of what I've read or seen in the movies. Vampires are the undead and they need blood to live. They envy the living because they are the undead and the living are...well, the living! Werewolves are only the guardians of the vampires." He then narrowed his eyes. "Why are you asking me this, anyway? I know that werewolves are alive. But vampires..." He paused seeing the look on Squall's face.

Squall just looked dully at him as he folded his arms. "You're looking at one, Dincht."

Zell looked him over before his eyes widened. "Whoa! You're a vampire?!" He gasped. The vampire didn't look as thrilled as the blonde was but he nodded. "I am." He said. Zell grinned with bright eyes. "Wow! A real live vampire! This is so cool! Man, Irvine is going to freak when he finds out about this! Totally..." He jumped when Squall growled towards him.

"First thing, no one is suppose to know about the vampires and lycans, except members of the Black Magic Circle! Another, shut up! There are enemies all over! You're not to tell anyone!" The vampire snarled at him. Zell backed away looking nervous.

Laguna scowled again at Squall. "Squall Leonhart Loire! What is the matter with you?!" He demanded. Squall closed his eyes tightly as he turned away. But not before everyone caught a glimpse of his fangs.

Ellone walked over to him and grabbed his arm, which he jerked away, turning his back onto her. "Squall, you've been skipping your feedings, haven't you? That's why you're acting like that." She said. Squall didn't answer. Laguna folded his arms as did Kiros and Ward. All three of them were scowling. "Squall! I thought I told you not to do that! You always get aggressive if you skip your feedings!"

Squall turned back giving him a sharp look. "Dad, leave me alone about that."

Laguna looked ready to blow his top. Zell was looking confused. "What do you guys mean? What feeding times? You don't mean..." His eyes grew wide. Squall was looking highly annoyed. Ellone just nodded. "Yes. Of course he drinks blood. That was what you were thinking, right? It's the only way he can live." She then shot Squall a look. "However, Squall hasn't fed tonight, have you?!"

Squall just folded his arms. "It's none of your..."

"Business." Everyone else said rolling their eyes.

"Squall, it is my business! I am your father and Elle's your cousin! For god's sake, son! When did you last feed?!" Laguna asked. Squall just growled with annoyance. He wasn't going to answer. "Squall, either you tell me or we'll ask Dr. Kadowaki." Laguna said sternly.

Squall growled again but he shook his head. "Week before last."

Laguna really did explode this time. He began yelling and kicking dirt. Ellone gave Squall a very stern look. "Squall! What are you trying to do, kill yourself?!" She cried out. Squall gave her a dull look. "Technically, I'm all ready dead. Marius killed me and made me into a monster. What does it matter?" He asked. Laguna shot him a look. "That's not funny, Squall! Not funny at all!" He said sharply. Squall rolled his eyes.

No one seemed to notice the look on Zell's face. He was looking at Squall with confusion. He blinked a few times, holding up a hand. "Wait, did you say Marius?" No one really heard what he said. They were still arguing with Squall. "Excuse me! But do you mean Marius Winhill?" Zell said, raising his voice.

Everyone almost missed what he said but Squall immediately stopped arguing with his father and looked at Zell. "What did you say?!" he asked. Zell nodded. "Marius Winhill. Is that who you're talking about?" He asked. The Black Magic members looked at one another. "Yes. You know Marius Winhill?" Kiros asked. Zell pulled a face and nodded. "Yeah, I know who that prick is! He's a jerk! He owns a lot of private night clubs around here. I tried to sneak in once but they threw me out."

Squall was quiet for a second. "That was probably a good thing then. Or else you would be dead."

Zell tilted his head. "What do you mean?" He asked. Laguna had a look on his face. "Marius Winhill is a damn vampire. He's one of the worst ones and I hope that we catch up with him soon. Because I still want to blow his damn head off." he growled. Zell looked stunned. "Marius Winhill is a vampire?!" He asked. Squall nodded. "Yes. He is. He's the one that changed me." he said. Zell looked down. "Oh man, that's not good." he said.

Everyone stared at him. "What? What's wrong" Laguna asked.

Zell looked back at him. "If Marius is a vampire, then one of my friends is in trouble. She's been trying to get a job at one of his night clubs for a week now. Tomorrow night, she's going to go to the Darkness Club for an interview with Marius Winhill."

Everyone had a serious look on their faces. "These night clubs...I wonder if their just feeding stations for vampires." Kiros said. Squall shook his head. "More than likely. We haven't see him for years now. He's probably just been setting up night clubs for vampires." he said. Ellone nodded. "We have to report to the Circle." She said. Laguna nodded. "Yeah. They're definitely going to need to know about this." he said. Squall turned sharply around, looking towards the sky. "We better do it later then. Look."

Everyone turned around and saw a light blue glow in the sky. "Oh damn. Is that late already?" Laguna said looking at his watch. Kiros shook his head. "Guess we better get Squall back his place before the sun comes up." He said. Laguna nodded before looking at Zell. "Zell, get some rest and then around five or so, come to this address." he said holding out a card to the young man. Zell took the card and looked at it. It was almost plain, except a black ring on it and the address.

"Tomorrow, you will get to meet the big haunchos in the Black Magic Circle. They will decide if you will join us in the Circle or not." Kiros said. Everyone nodded as they started to walk away. Squall remained for a second. "Zell, you have to remember something."

Zell looked at him as he stuffed the card into his pocket. "Huh?"

Squall shook his head. "Now that you're in, you can't tell anyone, and I mean anyone about the circle. That goes for your parents, your siblings, and your friends. No one must know about it." He said. Zell tilted his head. "But what am I going to tell my friend? I can't let her go to that nightclub if Marius Winhill is a vampire." He said. Squall looked away before nodding. "Yes, that's true. Tell her anything but she can't know about the circle. Do what you must to keep her from going to meet with him. Even if that means doing something rash."

Zell winced. "I don't like the sound of that. But if it means saving her life, then I guess I'll do it." He said. Squall nodded before turning away. "See you tomorrow night then."

Zell watched him walk away with the other four before making a face. "Man, what a weird night." He muttered as he turned away and started to head home. "First those weird werewolves and then getting myself into a magic circle thing, talking about crazy."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey, everyone. Sorry for the long wait. I've been a little busy with other things. And working on this next chapter. I'm not giving up on it, if that's what you're worried about. Anway, thanks for the reviews and again I apologize for the long wait. **

**Read and review, please.

* * *

****Chapter 6.**

When Zell woke up around noon, he remembered the night's events. How could he have forgotten when he had claw marks in his chest where the lycan had scratched him? He could see them in plain view when he looked into his mirror of his bathroom.  
The young blonde pulled a face before he quickly decided to take a shower. He remembered what the strange 'hunters' had told him about Marius Winhill and he knew he had to try and talk his friend, Rinoa Heartilly, out of going to the nightclub for a job. He had to do something or things were really going to get screwed up.

As soon as he was showered and dressed, he rushed down the stairs, pulling on his short-sleeved jacket. His mother was in the kitchen cleaning up when he came down. Once he did, she turned to give him a square look. "Zell, why did you sleep in so late? You missed breakfast."  
Zell only looked at her as he grabbed his shoes from by the door. "Uh...stayed up late. Mom, I've got to run and meet some friends. I'll be back later." He said. Ma Dincht turned away from doing the dishes and walked over while drying her hands. "Zell Dincht! You haven't had anything to eat yet. You think I'm going to let you go off and hang out with your friends when..." She was saying. Zell just quickly tied his shoes and stood up. "Ma, don't worry. I'll grab a bite to eat while I'm downtown. But I've got to run." He said as he pecked her on the cheek and rushed out the door.  
Ma Dincht only threw her hands up into the air. "Ah, young people nowadays. Always in a rush!" She said then went back to doing the dishes.

Zell rushed over to his bike and spun the combination on it. Once it was undone, he climbed on and rode down the sidewalk. His mind was racing. He couldn't believe everything he believed in was true. He had always believed in the supernatural. Sometimes his friend, Irvine, made fun of him because he liked to talk about vampires, werewolves, witches and such. His other friends just went along with him, but didn't really believe what he said.

He rode downtown, until he arrived at a large house, a manor. He pulled up to the gate, looking at the guard. "Hey, Cam. Is Rinoa in?" He asked. The guard shrugged as he stepped aside. "She might be. I just started my rounds." He said. Zell nodded as he rode past the guard towards the door. He dismounted his bike by the front door and leaned it against the wall. He walked up to the door and knocked.  
After a few minutes, a man opened the door. It was one of the butlers of the family. The man looked Zell over for a second before giving a smile. "Hello, Mr. Dincht. I suppose you are here for Miss Caraway."  
Zell pulled a face. He knew very well that Rinoa hated to be called by her father's surname. She liked her mother's maiden name more. "No, I'm here for Miss Heartilly. Where's Rinoa?" He asked. The butler just nodded. "The mistress is not home. She's out with Miss Tillmitt." He said. Zell groaned as he looked around. "Well, do you know where she went? I've got to talk to her." He said. The butler only shook his head. "I'm not sure. I think they might have gone shopping."  
Zell rolled his eyes as he backed away. "Girls and their shopping. Okay! Thanks!" He hurried to his bike and took off again.

Zell was riding along the street, just looking around to see if he could catch sight of her. He almost ran into a few people doing so, who of course yelled at him. Finally he spotted someone very familiar sitting at an outdoor cafe. He rode quickly over to the cafe and almost falling when he jumped off it. "Rinoa!"

A young woman sitting at the table while chatting with her friend looked up when she heard her name. She was a very lovely girl. She was Zell's age. She had long, raven black hair with copper highlights and soft brown eyes. She was wearing a black tank top and black shorts under a sky blue, sleeveless body sweater. Around her neck was a silver chain with a silver ring hanging on it.  
The other girl was a cute and perky looking girl. She had short brown hair that curled on the ends and emerald green eyes. She was a lot shorter that her friend, at least by five inches. She was wearing a yellow sundress and brown leather boots. To complete her outfit, she was wearing a light brown cowboy hat. She was smiling when she saw Zell coming towards them.

"Zell!" They both said cheerfully as he walked up.

Zell stopped by Rinoa and bent over to catch his breath. He gasped for air before he stood up straight. "Hey, Selphie." He looked at Rinoa. "Rinoa! I've got to talk to you real quick. It's really important."  
Rinoa frowned as soon as she heard the urgency in his voice. She looked him over with concern. "Zell, are you all right? What's wrong?" She asked. Zell glanced at Selphie who was looking at him in the same concern. He winced before looking back at Rinoa. He quickly grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to sit down by Rinoa. "Rinoa, it's about that job your trying to get. The job at the night club." he said. Rinoa just stared at him. "What about it?"

Zell swallowed hard trying to think of how he was going to try to convince her not to do it. "Uh, well...I don't think you should work there." he said. Rinoa forced a smile as she glanced at Selphie who was now smiling. "Why?"

Zell rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...because of the owner. Marius Winhill. He's a bad guy, Rinoa. You can't go to the nightclub! Please just trust me on this!" He said. Rinoa rolled her eyes as she placed her hands on the table. "Zell, this isn't about that time you got thrown out of that nightclub, is it?" She asked. Zell shook his head violently. "No! This has nothing to do with it! It's just that Marius Winhill is..." He pulled a face as he looked around. "He's pure evil, Rinoa! I don't want you to go to the nightclub for the job! You're in danger if you go!" He said. Rinoa gave her friend a look. "Zell, what nonsense is that! I need a job and I want to work at one of the nightclubs. Give me a real good reason why I shouldn't go." She said as she began gathering up her things. Zell shook his head. "He's dangerous! I can't tell you what he is but it's something bad! Don't go, please, Rinoa!"

Rinoa rolled her eyes as she stood up with Selphie. "Now you're just being paranoid. How many scary movies did you watch last night?" She asked. Zell stood quickly. "Rinoa! I didn't watch any scary movies! You have to trust me on this! Look!" He pulled the neckline of his shirt down to reveal the top of the scratches.

Both Rinoa and Selphie gasped as they saw them. "Zell! What happened! Did a dog or something attack you?! Those look horrible!" The brunette asked.

Zell shook his head as he let his shirt go. "No! I was attacked last night while in the park by..." He cut off looking embarrassed. "I can't tell you! But some guy saved my butt and then we got talking and he said something about Marius Winhill and then I told..."

However, Rinoa wasn't listening. She just grabbed Zell's shirt and lifted it up to see the rest of the scratch. Her face was twisted in horror at the sight. "Zell! Did you even get this cleaned up?!"  
Zell pushed her hands away. "Rinoa! Listen to me! You can't go to the nightclubs for the job! Try to get another job or something but don't..." He was saying.  
Rinoa gave him a look. "Zell! Just stop!" She said sharply. Zell sighed in frustration. He opened his mouth to continue to argue. But Rinoa wasn't going to listen. She just walked over to the road and held up a hand to wave down a taxi. She looked back at Zell. "Zell, look! Your just mad that you got tossed out of one of the nightclubs a few weeks ago and now you just don't want me to work at a great place. Well, tough luck, Zell. Tonight I'm going to the Darkness Nightclub to meet with Marius Winhill about getting a job at the club as an entertainer."

Zell's eyes went wide as he stepped closer to her. "T-t-tonight?! But...but you can't!" He looked around before leaning towards her. "Rinoa! He's a vampire! He's just probably luring you into a trap to suck your blood!" He whispered.

Rinoa pulled away giving him the dirtiest look. "Ugh, Zell! Why don't you just grow up! There's no such thing as vampires!" She said out loud. Zell looked around with alarm as he waved his hands in the air. People were looking towards him. He looked back at Rinoa, who was pulling a taxi door open. "Rinoa! Please don't...!" He was saying.

Rinoa looked back at him as she and Selphie climbed into the cab. "Zell! Get real! No matter what you say, I'm going to the night club!" She slammed the door shut before looking at him again. "You really need to get your head out of those supernatural comics. It's not healthy for a guy your age to be so childish like that. See you around, Zell." She rolled up the window and the car drove away. Zell watched her go with a worried look on his face. He shook his head. "Not good." He hurried over to his bike and climbed on. He quickly rode down the street, not noticing the eyes that followed him.

* * *

The secret headquarters for the Black Magic Circle was always very slow during the day, except for the hunters and Sorceresses that roamed around in the halls, talking to one another or making reports about a vampire or such. The headquarters, itself was a large manor near the borders of the city. It had ten acres of land surrounding it. Large, ten-foot high stone walls surrounded the land with black iron spikes on top. The tips of the spikes were silver. There were cameras set up on each of the corners of the walls and some were spread out every five yards away from each other. The entire place was heavy in security. There were even some guards walking along the walls making sure that there was nothing wrong. A few of them had dogs with them.  
There was only three ways in or out of the entire place. The front gate, which had a security shack sitting right out side with two guards, the back gate, also guarded with two security guards in a security shack, and there was also the hidden passage. It was only used for emergencies.  
The property, itself, was full of green grass and had a large garden. Trees were planted every were. Though there was a few cameras set up in a few of them too. A large area where cars could be parked was right in the front. A ten-car garage was set up on the right side of the manor.

When Zell had pulled up to the front of the place, his eyes were wide as saucers. He had not expected that the Black Magic Circle had such a nice place like this. He couldn't believe he had missed this place in the first place. He just sat there for a minute before he noticed the guards were watching him with serious looks. He knew he had better explain himself or take off. He rode up, stopping when one of the guards approached him. The guard's hand was on the holster of his gun. That had made Zell a little tense. "May I help you, son?" He asked sternly.

Zell sat on his bike, propping himself up with his right leg. "Hi. I'm Zell Dincht. I met a couple people last night. Um, they told me to come here today to see the head haunchos of this place."

The security guard just grabbed the radio near his shoulder and spoke into it in a low whisper before looking back at Zell. "What was the name of the people you met?" He asked. Zell scratched his head. "Uh, I think there was five of them. Um, Squall, Laguna, Ellone, and two other guys but I didn't get their names." He said. The guard only nodded. He looked a little more relaxed when he had heard those names. "I've got a kid here whose here to see Laguna or Ellone." Zell heard the guard whisper into his radio. There was a crackle from the earpiece and the guard looked at Zell again. "He said his name was Zell Dincht." He said into the radio.  
A second later, the guard nodded. He dropped his hands and looked directly at Zell. "All right. You've been cleared. You may go through. But stick to the road and go straight to the front door. The guards there will give you instructions." He told him. Zell nodded as he put his foot back onto the pedal. The guard went back to the security shack and pressed the activation button. The gate gave a loud squeak and then began to roll away.

Zell rode right through the gates before they squeaked again and shut again. He only glanced over his shoulder at the gate before riding on. He couldn't help but look around as he went. The grounds of the manor was very beautiful. He had never seen anything like this place before.  
For evil ridding, good doers, the Black Magic Circle had style. Zell saw a few guards walking down paths on the grounds with dogs, which were barking at him. Some were snarling but lucky for him, the guards were holding them back. Zell swallowed hard as he sped up his riding. "Man, I feel bad for any burglar that tries to rob this place." He muttered.

He finally made it to the front of the manor. His eyes looked the entire place over. So far, he could see that the manor was five stories high and had at least twenty windows in the front of the house. He just wondered how many rooms this place had. He looked to the roof and saw a few gargoyles just sitting on the ledges. It was a nice looking place, though at night, it was probably creepy looking with those gargoyles. He came to a screeching halt as soon as he reached the large porch.

There were two guards at the foot of the stairs, one stepping forward. "You Zell Dincht?" He asked, in a very serious tone.

Zell cringed a little as he swung his foot around the bike to stand up. "Yeah. That's me." He said. The guard nodded before motioning to the side. "Go ahead and put your bike there. And then go up the stairs. The guard up there will show you in." He said. The blonde just nodded and did what he was told.

He met the guard waiting in front of the door. The guard held up a hand to tell him to stop, which he did. The guard looked him over. "Remove any weapons you may have on your person then spread out your arms and feet so I might check you."  
Zell gave the guard a wide-eyed look. "Dude, I'm 18 years old and I'm human. I don't have any weapons. And you are not going to frisk me. Like I want you touching my ass or something."

The guard was giving him a very dirty look. He was going for the radio to call in for someone but there was a light laugh as someone stepped up. "That won't be necessary, Captain. It's all right."

Zell and the guard turned their heads to see Ellone walking towards them. She looked much different from the last time Zell saw her. She had been wearing a white body suit and her hair was slick back. But now she was wearing a white skirt and a light blue sleeveless shirt. Her dark colored hair fell around her face, making her look almost like a sweet angel. She was smiling softly as she walked over. The guard bowed to her as he backed away. "Yes, Mistress Ellone." He said as he stood at his post.

Ellone turned her smile onto Zell and nodded her greeting. "Welcome, Zell. Your sure here earlier than we expected."

Zell nodded as he looked at his watch. "Yeah, well, I didn't have anything else to do. Not mention, I thought I'd like to tell you guys that my friend's going to the nightclub tonight." he looked worried now. "I tried to talk her out of it but she just wouldn't listen to me." He said. Ellone's smile had faded and she gave him a sympathetic but understanding look. "I see. You were right to come to us this early then. It'll give us time to think of what we could do to solve this problem." She then turned towards the door, still looking at him. "Come. I'll show you around." She said. Zell nodded and he followed her into the house.

He was just as amazed of the foyer as he had when he first saw the manor. The foyer had a chandelier hanging from the ceiling and there was a large staircase. And on both the right and left side was a large doorway into different rooms. A long hall way lead to the back of the manor. The walls were painted in a fancy red color with gold borders.

Ellone smiled when she saw the look on Zell's face. She gently touched his arm to get his attention. "Wait till you see the rest of the manor." She told him with a light laugh. Zell grinned at her. "Man, for people who hunt down evil vampires and werewolves, you guys sure know how to accessorize." he said. Ellone just laughed softly as she shook her head. "A few of the people who built this house wanted to make it look very nice. This is an ancient manor and we wanted to make it that way." She said. Zell shrugged as they walked towards the right door way first. "Well, I wasn't really expecting to be like this. I was thinking...I was thinking it was going to be more like the mansion from Underworld, you know? Dark and kind of creepy."

Ellone just laughed as she shook her head. "Your imagination is sure wild." She said. Zell shrugged. "Well that's true. My friends think that too. That's probably why Rin didn't believe me." He then looked around the room.

It was a large sitting room. Zell couldn't believe the size of it. Four of his bedrooms could fit in it pretty well and he had a decent size bedroom. There were at least five large black leather or red couches, which looked extremely comfortable and at least ten chairs with cushioned backs and seats. The drapes over the large windows were golden brown colored and didn't look that bad at all.

Zell whistled as he looked around the room. "Wow, talking about the best visiting room, huh?"

Ellone only smiled. "This is where most of us just sit and talk. Or sometimes we have chess games." She said pointing towards a very expensive looking chess set made out of black and white marble. Ellone then pointed at a set of rolling doors. "That door leads to the dining room where everyone has dinner together. It's just like this one. Most of the rooms in the house are painted red and gold. But there are a few that have their different styles."  
Zell nodded as he looked around. Then he turned to Ellone. "Exactly how many rooms are in this place?"  
Ellone looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful look. "Well, there are at least twenty five bedrooms, twenty eight bathrooms, a large kitchen, a dining room, this room, which is just the living room, but we have three living rooms." She paused as she began to count on her fingers. "We also have a entertainment room where some of us like to play pool or watch television. Hmm. We also have a conference room on the second floor where we hold most of our meetings. We have a swimming pool and a hot tub. Plus a sauna. We have utility room and in the basement is where we hold the dojos and shooting ranges. Plus the research facility." She said as she looked at him. Zell was looking extremely surprised. "Oh! And there's also the dark rooms, where our spies develop film from when their getting shots of some of our enemies. So there is at least 64 rooms." She said and she laughed again when Zell was staring at her with wide eyes and a wide jaw. He was completely speechless.

"Well, look what we have here." Someone broke the silence.

Zell and Ellone turned around and saw Laguna striding up towards them with a grin on his face. He was wearing a black tank top and dark blue jeans. His dog tags hung around his neck. His dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, but his long bangs hung over his eyes. Ellone and Zell both waved at him as he approached. Laguna held out his hand to greet Zell, who immediately took it. "Hey there, Zell. Your here earlier than we expected."  
Zell nodded smiling at Ellone, who faintly smiled back. "Yeah, well, things kind of changed." he then told Laguna what he told Ellone.

A serious look appeared on the older man's face as he looked off thoughtfully. "Hmm. This does put a dent in our plans a little. Do you know what time your friend is going to be there at the night club?"

Zell shook his head. "No. But I know that she won't be there before eight. It doesn't open until nine. When it's really dark and the party's are really starting. My guesses are she might show up around ten." he said. Laguna rest his chin in his hand as he tried to think. "Well, that'll give us time to come up with a plan. Squall's definitely going to want to go there tonight if Marius will be there. He's been itching to get a hold of that bastard and slicing his head off."

Ellone nodded. "Most of us all are. But I think it's Squall's right to be the one that kills him. After all he did to him." He said. Zell tilted his head. "What did Marius do to piss him off so bad?"   
Laguna looked at him with a serious look but he sighed. "Marius did a lot to him. For one, when he was a child, Marius pretended to be his friend. Elle, here, kept on trying to warn him on how bad he was, but that's just the thing about my son. He's got his mother's stubbornness." he then had a sad look on his face. "Marius also killed Squall's mother. My wife. If there was one that understood Squall the most, besides Ellone, here, it was Raine." He said. Zell looked sorry to even ask.

Ellone just nodded. "Marius also changed Squall against his will. He had tricked him when he was ten into asking him to be made into a vampire. That gave Marius entire access into doing it to him. Because you see, it's against vampiric laws to change someone completely against their will. The person to be changed has to ask for it. If a vampire did it without permission, well, they can't really get away with it without other vampires knowing about it. And vampires do not like their laws being broken. Marius made Squall drink his blood and now he's a vampire. He can't live without blood. He can't feel the warmth of the sun on his skin. He can't watch the sun set. He's completely different from what he used to be."

Zell looked down at the ground. "So Marius ruined his life."

Laguna nodded, sadly. "Yes, he did. And he'll be sorry for it some day. One day, he's not going to be able to escape from Squall's fury. And it will be the end of him. Unfortunately, Squall will still be what he hates. I don't want to know what he'd do once he's had his revenge on Marius." he said. Zell shook his head. "Man, what a prick." He said. The two only smiled and shook their heads.

"Well, anyway, I've told Edea about you and what happened last night. She's not too happy that you know about us now, but she's willing to accept you into the group. Just as long as you follow by the rules and don't do anything that will break our trust." Laguna said.  
Zell nodded. "I'd do anything to help. Anything you need, I can get it."  
Laguna grinned at him. "That's great." he looked at his watch. "Aw, man. We still have a couple of hours till the meeting. How much rest have you gotten, Zell?" he asked. Zell shrugged. "Well I slept till about noon. But I'm really not tired or anything." He said. Both Laguna and Ellone shook their heads. "Trust us on this, you will be. Since your joining the Circle, you might want to consider sleeping during the day a lot more often. We do a lot of all nighters. Especially when we're hunting." The hunter said.  
Zell winced. "Man, this job is kind of rough isn't it?"  
Ellone faintly smiled. "I suppose it is. Someone has to do it." She said. Zell only nodded. Laguna shrugged. "Well, if you want, you can get some more rest in one of the guest rooms. You'll need it for tonight." He said. Zell shrugged. "Well, if you really insist." He said. Ellone nodded. "We do. Like we said. The Circle is more active at night. It some times gets tiring. But don't worry. You'll get used to it in no time." She said. Zell nodded.

Laguna motioned for him to follow. "Come on. I'll show you to one of the guest rooms." He said. Zell nodded as he quickly followed. Ellone just went off on her own. The two of them walked up the stairs, heading to the third floor. Zell had caught sight of a few people along the way. He couldn't help but wonder, were there any more vampires like Squall here? Exactly who and what was in the Circle? So he decided to ask.

"Hey, Laguna. How many people are there in the Black Magic Circle?"

Laguna looked at him as he led the young man down a hallway. "Hm? Oh, well there's quite a lot. Maybe over a hundred people. But only a few stay here at the manor. Most of the members are humans, hunters. But there's a fair amount of Sorceresses here."

Zell tilted his head. "Is there any more vampires like Squall?"

Laguna shook his head as he put one hand in his pocket. "Nope. Squall's the only one. Most of the vampires are our enemies. The Circle don't like them at all."  
Zell just stared. "So Squall's the only favorite vampire, huh?"  
Laguna sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Hardly any of the others likes having him around. They're just afraid of him. Afraid of what he can do. They just don't understand him." He stopped and looked right at Zell. "You see, Zell. Just because Squall is a vampire, doesn't mean he will act like one. Yes, he keeps his distance from others. But that's because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. And they won't let him get any closer than he wants to. He's not a bad guy at all. He just has a few rough edges."  
Zell nodded as he understood what he was saying. "I promise you this, Laguna. I won't neglect him for what he is. No matter what the others say, he's still a person. Might not be human anymore. But he's got a conscious."  
Laguna gave him a smile. "Thank you, Zell. I would appreciate that. I know Squall might try to scare you off but don't be afraid of him at all. He's just not used to people trying to get close, other than me or Ellone." He said. Zell only nodded.

Then they went on to go to the room. Zell thought of another thing to ask. "Hey, Laguna. Is Squall staying here too?" He asked. Laguna didn't look at him as he stepped up to a door and pushed it open. Both of them walked in, looking around. "No. He doesn't usually stay here very often. He has an apartment downtown. He only stays here once in a while." Laguna told him.  
Zell tilted his head. "Is he here now?"  
Laguna looked at him before faintly smiled. "Yes. He's resting in a room on the fifth floor. I suggested to him last night that he should stay here at the manor. It was closer than his apartment was." He said. Zell couldn't help but smile. "Man, you really do care for him, don't you? Even though he was...well, you know."  
Laguna only nodded. "The undead or not, he is my son." He then motioned to the room. "You can stay here for a while. When your done resting, come on down to the living room again." He said. Zell nodded and watched the man leave.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7.**

Later, when Zell woke up from his nap, he could tell it was near dusk. He checked his watch to see that it was close to 7:38. He stretched and yawned before deciding to get up. He quickly pulled on his shoes and jacket. As soon as they were on, he went back down stairs to see if he could find Laguna.

He soon found him in the living room, speaking to Ellone and the two men from the night before. There was another woman speaking to them. This one Zell didn't know at all. He knew he had seen her before but he didn't know what her name was. She was dressed in a deep purple dress and a black-feathered boa around her shoulders. She was very beautiful yet creepy looking.

Zell swallowed hard before strolling towards them. He grinned as soon as Laguna spotted him, who grinned right back. "Ah! There he is!" He said. Everyone looked at him and Zell slowed his pace when he saw the yellow cat like eyes on him. That definitely creeped him out. The woman wasn't looking too happy to see him though. She just watched him as he stepped closer. "Hey, Laguna." Zell said tearing his eyes away from the woman. Laguna looked at the woman. "Ah, Zell. Allow me to introduce you to the head Sorceress of the Black Magic Circle, Sorceress Edea Kramer. Edea, this is that young man we told you about, Zell Dincht." He said. Edea continued to look at Zell with misty eyes, making him a little uneasy. But he put his best smile on. "Hello, ma-am." he said as politely as he could.  
It was only then Edea's features softened. "Zell Dincht, I have heard of you. You made champion in the Martial Arts Tournament a few months ago, did you not?" She asked. Zell's face lit up and he grinned. "Yeah! That was me all right." He said. Edea nodded before looking at Laguna, who was smiling. "Laguna, I must admit. You did pick a nice candidate for the Black Magic Circle. I will allow him to join us."  
Laguna nodded. "Cool. Glad to hear it, Edea." He looked back at Zell. "Um, Edea. There is one thing that's going down tonight. A friend of Zell's here is getting herself into a lot of trouble. Apparently, she's going to one of those flashy nightclubs on the other side of Deling City. And those nightclubs belong to Marius." He told her.

Edea's face darkened a little as she took everything into thought. "Hmm. So I suppose you want to try and stop her."

Laguna shrugged as he nodded to Zell. "Zell already tried talking her out of it but she just wouldn't listen to him. I think it's best if Squall went after her to stop her. This girl is also meeting with Marius. So if Squall went after her, he might just get a chance to slay Marius once and for all." He said. Edea slowly nodded before looking at Zell. "Yes. That's a thought. A very good one. Of course, our new hunter here will have to be involved. It can be his first night mission."  
Everyone nodded while Zell looked uneasy. "Me, go into a Vampire night club?" He asked. Ellone shook her head. "Don't worry, Zell. Squall will be with you." She said. Laguna nodded. "Of course, we just have to wait for Squall to get his lazy butt up now."

"Shut up, dad."

Everyone turned to see Squall walking towards them while adjusted his belt with the Lionheart Gunblade. Zell grinned seeing him. Squall just looked blank as he looked at everyone. "I heard your plan while coming down the stairs. I don't think it's a good idea if I take Dincht with me."  
Zell frowned with offense. Edea just looked at him coolly. "Well, I do, young Loire. For various reasons. Zell Dincht, here, knows where the nightclub is." She said. Squall just eyed her just as coolly. "So do I. I looked it up in the phone book."  
Laguna cracked a smile but hid it when Edea shot him a look. Ellone was trying to hide her's too but was failing. Edea looked back at Squall. "Squall Leonhart Loire, I will not ask you to take Zell. I will tell you if I must. The girl is his friend and he knows what she looks like. I know that you can sense a human from a vampire but just do this. It would be better if you had back up. Because where there is Marius, there is Seifer. And where there are those two, there are more of his children. You will need back up."

Squall rolled his eyes before placing his fist on his hip. "Whatever." He muttered.

Edea nodded before looking at everyone. "The meeting will be starting shortly. We need to go to the conference room right now. The White Magic Circle will be joining us shortly." She told them. Everyone nodded and they began walking towards the stairs.

Zell looked at Laguna. "White Magic Circle?" He asked. Laguna looked at him and then nodded. "Yeah. The White Magic Circle. They were a rivaling clan of White Sorceresses and shape shifters. They have a few human hunters too. We just made a pact with them and now we're joining together. Good thing too."  
Zell tilted his head. "What makes you say that?"  
Ellone smiled. "White Sorceresses are extremely powerful with magic. None of the Black Sorceresses wants to admit it but the white ones are probably more stronger than them." She said. Zell stared. "But aren't you a sorceress?" He asked. Ellone gave a lazy shrug. "Well, yes. I suppose I am. But I hardly use my powers unless I really have to." She said. Zell just nodded.

The whole group walked into a large room that had chairs set up everywhere. A podium was on a small lift at the front. Zell noticed that Squall hadn't joined them closer to the front. There were already some people sitting down. The young blonde turned around to see where the vampire had gone and found him sitting in the far back close to the doors. He glanced around, noticing that Edea, Ellone and Laguna was sitting behind the podium so that pretty much left Zell to sit anywhere he wanted. So with a shrug, he went to the back to sit right next to Squall.  
Squall just gave him a blank look as he sat down in the chair beside him. He didn't say anything except fold his arms, still looking at Zell, who only grinned at him and then sat back in the chair.  
For a moment, there was silence.  
Squall then looked away. "What are you doing?" He asked quietly. Zell looked at him. "What does it look like? I'm sitting down by you. Like I want to sit by some weirdo I don't even know." he said. Squall looked back at him with the same blank look. "I don't recall ever telling you that you could."

Zell smirked at him, lightly "That's because I didn't ask." He challenged earning a very cold stare from the vampire but he never cringed or looked uneasy. He just gave Squall a determined look. Squall then looked away, facing the front again without a word. Zell had won the first round.

The meeting soon began and drawled on. Zell was completely bored within ten minutes. So he just played around with his studded fighting gloves to entertain himself. He could tell that Squall was getting a little irritated but he said nothing about it. He wouldn't admit it but he was getting bored too. Finally after a while, the lights began flickering making every head turn and look to the back. Zell was just looking around in confusion before he realized that everyone was looking at Squall. So he just looked at him too.  
Edea sighed in frustration and shook her head. She waved her hand towards the doors. "Go on, Squall. You may go." She said in an irritated way.  
Squall nodded as he stood up without thanks. He then turned and grabbed Zell's shoulder and pulled him to his feet. Without another word, he just pulled the blonde out of the conference room. "What's up?" Zell asked as he followed Squall down the hallway. The vampire didn't look at him as he just went straight to the stairs. "We're going to the night club now." Was all he said.

Zell nodded. "Uh, okay."

They were just stepping off the floor before Squall stopped and looked at Zell. "What do you usually fight with?" he asked. Zell blinked a few times. "Huh?" He asked. Squall just stared at him. "You will need a weapon to defend yourself when we go to the nightclub. There's bound to be a fight if Marius is there."  
Zell just held up fist. "I only fight with these. I've never used a weapon in my life and I don't plan on starting to."

Squall scoffed as he walked down the hallway towards the back of the house. He then pulled a door open and started down some stairs. "You'll probably won't last long then." He said as he went down. Zell just stared after him before he decided to follow.

When they reached the bottom, Zell looked around with astonishment. The basement was huge. About as wide as the entire house. In a far corner there was some wrestling mats and a few punching bags and dummies. That was mostly likely where the hunters trained in hand-to-hand combat. Far from there, there was a shooting range with ten stalls.  
But Squall was walking towards another room where there was a sign that read Research Facility. Zell followed quickly. The both of them walked into the room. Zell could see a large desk in the middle of the place and it was covered with a few guns that had been taken apart. Bullets scattered everywhere. Around the room, it looked more like a labatory.

Zell just looked around in interest. This place was none that he had ever seen before. It was definitely full of military stuff that he could understand. Squall just looked sternly at him. "Don't touch anything."

Zell made a face at him as soon as he back was turned again. But not before someone walked out from the back room. It was a man a little older than them both. He was probably at least 27 years old. He had short black hair and dark green eyes. He was wearing a blue tank top and baggy black jeans. On his head were some goggles. He smirked when he caught Zell making a face at Squall.  
The blonde just went bright red and looked away when Squall noticed the smirk on the man's face and turned back around. The man just shook his head. "Hello, Squall. How's things top side?" He asked as he set down a few tools. Squall turned back and gave him a grim look. The man shook his head as he stood at the desk. "That bad, huh?" He then nodded to Zell. "So, who's this?"  
Squall just glanced at Zell who was poking a vile full of dark blue liquid. "That's our new hunter, Zell Dincht. We've come to equip him. His first night hunt." he said in a low voice.

The man nodded as he went around the desk. "Oh, right." He went over to a large shelf. "So, Zell Dincht, huh?" He asked. Zell stopped poking the vile and looked over at him. "Huh? Yeah. That's me." He said. The man nodded. "The name's Nida. I'm the weapons specialist. With the help of my partner, Grease Monkey of course. What's your specialty?"

Zell just held up his fists. "I'm a fist fighter. I'm a second-degree black belt in martial arts too. I don't like using weapons, only my fists."

Nida smiled at him as he pulled the doors open to the shelf. "Huh, that's a new one. Never really had a hunter who killed Bloods and dogs with their hands before."  
Zell gave him a wide-eyed look. "You know, I've never killed anything before. I kind of don't like the idea of killing anyone."  
Squall rolled his eyes, growling in annoyance but Nida only nodded as if he understood what Zell meant. "Yeah, neither do any of the other hunters. Since you know Squall, then you have to know Laguna. He really hates having to kill anything. But he does it because he knows that if we, hunters, don't do it, then vampires who like killing for blood are going to over run the human race and try to take control. Not like they haven't already." He was looking through weapons in the shelves but didn't seem to find what he was looking for. He just closed the doors again and went through some drawers. "Squall, there, is the only vampire I like. He's trying to do good." he said as he pulled out some canisters.

Squall just folded his arms. "Nida, do you have anything for him or not? We're kind of in a hurry." He said impatiently.

Nida pulled a face as he looked at him. "That's the only thing I don't like about him. It's his rush into things. Yo, Squall. You're always in a hurry. Be patient, will ya." he then went over to the desk and pulled a drawer open. "Well, I'll tell you what. I've been working on these for some time. I was going to give them to Kiros, since he likes punching Bloods. But the new guy could use them more than he can." he pulled out a pair or red and black gauntlets.

Zell actually gasped out loud as he rushed forward. "Are those Ehrgiez gloves?!" He gasped as he eyed the gloves with wide eyes. Nida only laughed as held them out to Zell. "Yep. They were made here in Deling City. Now don't get me wrong, they're not the best Ehrgiez gloves made because the weapon specialists here are kind of stupid, but after messing around with these a bit, they're better than what they used to be." He said. Zell took the gloves looking like Christmas had just come. "Man! Ehrgiez gauntlets are the best! They're also really expensive to have made!" He said excitedly.  
Squall just rolled his eyes as he watched him. Nida just laughed. "Well, they're yours now. Use them well." He said. Zell grinned as he tore began tearing his old ones off and pulled on the Ehrgiez gloves on. They were a good fit.  
"Man! So rad!" He began punching the air. Squall was getting very annoyed now. He just looked at Nida. "Is that all your going to give him?"

Nida looked at him. "Squall, lighten up, dude. Of course I'm going to give him a few things than just those." He went over to the canisters. "Hey, Zell, Come here." Zell stopped punching the air and hurried over to Nida, who held up what looked like a pepper spray can. "Since you're not into big weapons like guns and such, I'll give you some of these. You ever get into a position where a vampire is holding you up by the neck and you can't punch him to get out of it, spray 'em with this." he said, holding out the can.  
Zell took it and stared. "What is it?"  
Nida grinned. "Hey, vampires don't like garlic for a few reasons. They hate the smell just like we do and their allergic to it. It's garlic spray."

Zell shrugged. "Cool. So it's like mace only it works for vampires."

Nida nodded. "Yeah. You can use on lycans too, but it'll only piss them off. The smell is really strong for them and if they get it up their nose, it stings like a bitch." he said. Zell only laughed. Squall shook his head. "We better go now if we're going to stop your friend from going to the night club."  
That jerked Zell out of his cheerfulness. He frowned and now looked serious. "Yeah, your right." he then turned to Nida and gave him a two finger salute from the right temple. "Thanks, Nida!" The man just smiled and shook his head as he watched the two walk out.

Squall and Zell were in walking out to the garage where the vampire was keeping his car. The blonde kept looking around at the nice cars that were parked in the parking lot. His eyes were wide with amazement. "Man! Is that a Mazda RX-7?! That's a fast car!" He said excitedly.  
Squall rolled his eyes as he moved over to his black convertible. He pulled out his keys and pushed the auto-lock controller to unlock the doors and turn the alarm system off. It beeped only once catching Zell's attention. His eyes went wide seeing the nice car that they would be riding. He grinned. "Is that yours?" He asked as he rushed over.

Squall turned a little and stopped him from going any closer. He gave him the coldest look. "Before we go anywhere, let me make one thing clear."

Zell just looked at him in curiousity. "What?"

Squall just glared at him. "If you want to stay alive in this, you will do exactly what I tell you and when I tell you. And don't try to be a hero if I get in mess like last night. Let me handle it. The vampires we might have to go up against is going to be out of your league. I can take them but you, you just defend yourself. Now get in." He told Zell as he went straight to his car. Zell watched him for a second before he nodded and hurried after him.

* * *

The car was speeding down the road at a speed Zell couldn't believe that was legal. He was surprised that Squall wasn't being pulled over for how fast he was going. He was gripping the seats nervously as the vampire made sharp turns and came close to nicking other cars.  
Zell looked wild eyed at Squall. "Man, can't you slow down just a bit?" He asked nervously.

Squall smirked as he glanced over at him and sped up making the blonde whimper. "And I thought you were the kind that liked thrills."

Zell gave a short laugh as he looked back out the window. "I do! It's just I got a real good look at the tiny scratch of that car we just passed." He said. Squall shook his head and slowed down a notch still smirking. Zell was breathing a little easier. "Where did you learn to drive like that?" He asked as he looked out the window.  
Squall didn't look at him. "I just drive as I always do. Vampires have more quicker reflexes and better eye sight than humans." He told him.  
The blonde looked at him again. "Don't you ever get pulled over for going this fast? I mean, everyone else is going, like, 30 mph. And you're doing 75."  
Squall glanced at him before shaking his head. "I never get pulled over because the cops here are corrupted. The Circle owns half of the police while the other half are the agents of vampires." He told the blond.  
Zell slowly nodded.

They were quiet for a few more blocks before Zell decided to pick up the conversation again. "So what exactly is the Black Magic Circle? I know you guys already told me but I still don't understand."

Squall kept his eyes forward. "The Circles are Paranormal Investigaters, so my father told me. They've been watching supernatural beings for a very long time. I'm not sure how long. At least 500 years. They keep an eye on vampires, lycans, sorceresses, sorcerers, just about everything. Unfortunately the vampires have been acting up. It started years and years ago. Way before I was born. Probably even before my father.  
When they started trying to take over, that was when the Black Magic Circle decided it was time to fight back. We're at war with the vampires and lycans. We try to hunt them down and kill them before they become a bigger threat than they already are. Some of the vampires are behaving but more than half, almost all, think they can do whatever they want just because their immortals. My father, Laguna, has been hunting Marius almost his entire life. He's the most active leader in the vampire clans. We've been trying to shut him down for years. Once we kill him, we only hope that the vampires will settle down and then we can go back to peace again after so many years."

Zell took in the information, nodding at every word. It did make sense. He looked back at Squall, studying the vampire. He kind of felt bad for him that he was something he didn't want to be. "Hey, Squall. Is there any chance you be turned back to human?" He asked, curiously. Squall was quiet for a long time. His head slightly tilted as he looked at Zell from the corners of his eyes.

There was a long silence before he looked back at the street. The vampire didn't answer the question. Zell just watched him before looking out the window.

Finally, Squall slowed down and then pulled into an alley. He drove through it until he came to the other side. He then put into park and looked at the building on the other side of the road. The Darkness Nightclub was exactly how its name was. The building was three stories high and there lights flashing in the windows. A blood red sign on the front. There was a long line of people trying to get in. Two very large bouncers were blocking the doors and slowly letting people in. Quite a few people were being rejected. Squall narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward and rest his hand on the steering wheel.  
Zell was watching the line too. "That's it. That's the club Rin's going to." He whispered.  
Squall tilted his head to look at him. "Yeah, and it's filling up with vampires." he said. Zell's eyes lit up as he looked at all the people in line. "All of those are vampires?" He asked. Squall just gave a nod. "There's a few lycans in there too." He then looked directly at Zell. "And a few humans."

Zell looked back at him with wide eyes. "Humans? B-but...I thought..." He was saying.

Squall only nodded. "They don't know what they're getting theirselves into. I suppose some of them are just invited to join the party. But they're not going to leave alive. Some of those people that are being rejected are humans." He said motioning to some very angry men stomping down the road. "It's probably just vampires and lycans only tonight. Good thing too." He continued to look at club.  
Zell swallowed hard. "Uh, Squall. If only vampires and werewolves are allowed in, how am I suppose to get in?"  
Squall looked back at him before looking off in a deep thought. He was quiet for a minute as he continued to watch the people. Then he pointed at the jockey box. "Get into the box and get the bottle that's in it." He instructed. Zell nodded and did so. The bottle he found was dark colored yet almost like a medicine bottle. The liquid in it was very dark and thick looking. He didn't know what it was but he wasn't sure if wanted to know.

"Drink it. It won't taste very good but if you're going to come with me into the club, then it'll help." Squall said still looking at the club. Zell twisted the cap off and sniffed it. It had a nasty smell to it. Almost like..."Is this garlic?" He asked. Squall looked at him and nodded. "Yeah. It has garlic essense in it. Just drink it. It will protect you from vampires."  
Zell made a face as he eyed the bottle with distaste. He closed his eyes tight and put the bottle to his lips. He poured a good amount in his mouth and nearly spat it right back out!  
Squall glared at him. "You spit that back out in my car, you won't be in the Black Magic Circle for very long! Alive that is!" He warned him. Zell had to cover his mouth to keep himself from spitting the liquid out and forced himself to swallow. He almost gagged as he put the cap back on, quickly twisting it on. "Oh hyne! What is that stuff?! That was not just garlic! It had an iron taste..." His eyes went wide and he looked at Squall sharply who was looking at the club. "Oh, my god. Was that...was that...!" He was saying.

Squall looked at him and nodded. "Yes. It was distilled blood. Vampire blood."

Zell looked like he was going to be very sick now; his face turning very green. "The hell?! You made me drink vampire's blood?! Are you crazy?! I think I'm going to throw up!" He exclaimed covering his mouth.  
Squall winced at his high pitched voice before shooting him a look. "Oh, shut up. It's not going to do anything to you. The garlic essense in it destroyed the vampire cells so it's mainly human blood. But it still has the vampire smell in it. While we're in there, the vampires around you will smell the vampire blood in your system. They'll think you're one of them." He told him.

The blonde gave him a look. "Yeah, right. Like that's going to work. I can't believe you did that. What if the vampires figure it out?"

Squall lazily shrugged. "Well, they can try to bite you to find out but there's garlic essense in your system. They won't bite someone who ate garlic. It'll only kill them. They could try to kill you the brutal way but that's where I come in." He told him.  
Zell just glowered at him, trying to get rid of the taste of blood out of his mouth by spitting out the window that he rolled down. "Uh-huh. Sure. So...what if Marius recognizes you, if he is here? Will he try to run for it?"  
Squall shook his head. "No. Marius isn't a runner unless he really has to. He won't run from me. I'm one of his dark children." He said bitterly. The blonde just watched him before looking back out the window.

They were quiet for a few minutes before Squall decided to get out. Zell followed his league and they just stood at the mouth of the alley, staring at the building. "What now?" The blonde asked.  
Squall began diggin into his jacket pocket and pulled out a clasp, the Lionheart clasp. He looked at Zell as he attatched it to his collar. "We go in."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: There is only two words that I can say about this chapter. ACTION and CLIFFHANGER! Anyway, read and review please. (grins evilly)**

**Chapter 8.**

Squall led Zell across the street towards the club. They just looked as casual as ever, well the blonde looked nervous but who could blame him? At first, Zell thought they were going to go t the back of the line, but when Squall just walked towards the front, he didn't do anything but follow. They didn't go un-noticed at all. Everyone looked at the two that was walking up to the front of the line and the angry hissing began. Zell tried his hardest to remain calm like Squall. The bouncers looked at the two and flexed their muscles warningly. Obviously, they were lycans.

"Where do you think you're going, shrimps?!" The larger one of the two demanded. Squall stopped in front of him, just still looking at the door. "We're joining the party, so stand aside."

There was even more hisses. The two bouncers just looked at Squall threateningly. "And who says, buddy?! Cutting in line is a black mark! If you want in, then..."

Squall's dead eyes met his, and it seemed to send a chill right through both bouncers. His eyes were narrowed dangerously as he glared at the two. "I said we're joining the party. Step aside." He said in a very dark and cold tone. It almost made Zell shiver. The bouncers had finally caught a glimpse of the Lionheart clasp and they immediately stepped back looking extremely nervous. Even some of the vampires in the lines saw it. They gasped and began whispering to one another. "It's the Lionheart!"

Squall smirked coldly, revealing his fangs. "Are you really going to keep us waiting, one of Marius' children?"

The bouncers just stared at him, fear definitely in their eyes. "Uh...n-no! You may go in, Mr. Lionheart!" The smaller one said stepped aside. Squall nodded before looking at Zell and motioned him to follow. The blonde quickly obeyed.

They stepped into the nightclub, being greeted by the loud, booming music. Zell hurried to catch up with Squall's side. "Whoa, what was that about?" He asked. Squall didn't look at him as he looked around. "I told you already. I'm one of Marius' dark children. Marius is one of the most feared vampires in the world. No one ever messes with the vampires he creates. If they do, they'll only die." He said. Zell slowly nodded. "But what about me? I'm not one of his dark children." He said in a low voice. Squall looked at him. "Just stay with me, and you'll be fine." He told him and then began pushing through the crowds.

The nightclub was huge. It had three levels, with three tiers of balcony surround the entire place. Each balcony above the lower one was always larger than the others. Looking straight up, was an arching ceiling and sky light. Moonlight was shining through. In the middle of the entire building was a very large dance floor where there were moving bodies everywhere. Hanging from the second floor was large cages, where some people were dancing. Seeing those people made Zell blush because most of them were women and they looked more like strip dancers. On all of the floors were several tables and stalls where vampires and lycans were drinking or chatting. Along the walls away from the dance floor were bars full of bartenders, serving unmistakably blood. On a stage there was a DJ playing the music. High above all of the dancers, surrounding the glassy ceiling was a few pipes, almost like sprinklers.

Squall could smell what was in them. "We better find your friend and fast." He then spoke to Zell, who had been looking around. The blonde looked at him. "Huh? What? Why? What's wrong?" He asked. Squall slowly looked back up at the pipes and the blonde followed his gaze. "The vampires will be looking for human blood tonight." he told him in a low voice.  
Zell felt a shiver run down his back. He might have not been a vampire but he could already see that the pipes were stained red. And it didn't take a genius to figure out what it was.  
Squall grabbed Zell's arm and pulled him through the dancers, towards the bar. They pushed through, until they reached it. Squall leaned towards Zell as they pulled out stools. "If anyone asks for your name, don't give them your real name. Give them a fake name." He muttered. Zell nodded nervously.

The two of them turned to see a bartender step up. He grinned at them, his mouth full of fangs. Squall narrowed his eyes as he smelled the air around him. The bartender was a lycan. "Hello, boys. What'll be?" He asked in a gruff voice. Squall glanced up at the menu board then nodded to the bartender. "Two Bloody Mary." he said. The bartender nodded and left to go make the drink.

Zell looked at the vampire nervously. "Bloody Mary? Does that mean..." He paused not wanting to say it.

Squall looked at him, dully. "What do you think, Dincht? This is a vampire bar. And vampires drink blood. So does lycans when they want the taste." He said. Zell shuddered. "Ugh. I don't think I want to be here anymore." He said. Squall rolled his eyes.

The bartender returned with long and thin glasses full of blood red liquid. He placed the glasses down in front of the two. "Here ya go, boys. Enjoy."

Squall just nodded his thanks, never looking away from the bartender. He just stared straight into the lycan's eyes as he picked up the long glass and put it to his lips. He could definitely smell the blood in the glass. And there was a lot of it. He could also smell vodka mixed in with the blood. Squall's thirst for blood doubled. He took a long drink, closing his eyes in pleasure as he enjoyed the warm liquid pouring into his mouth. It was like a very strong energy drink for Squall. After drinking half of the drink, he set the glass down, letting out a hiss of satisfaction.

A wide grin broke out on the bartender's face. He could understand the reaction very well. "Ah, haven't fed for a while, huh?"

Squall looked at him, his eyes narrowed but he smirked right back at the bartender. "No." He answered. The bartender then looked at Zell, who was eyeing his drink uncomfortably. "Something wrong with the drink, lad?" The bartender looked at him.

Zell looked up at him then at Squall, who was almost glaring at him from the side. He then shook his head as he picked up the drink and grinned heartily at the bartender. "Nope! It's very...tasty!" He said as cheerfully as he could before forcing himself to take a drink. The bartender was watching Zell through narrowed eyes, looking just a little confused. Squall knew he had better do something or there was going to be trouble. "He's newly changed. His first night out on having real fun." He shrugged lazily. "Still trying to get used to the taste of blood." He informed the bartender. The bartender took the story right away. He just grinned. "Ah! A new fledgling, eh? All right. I'll get something lighter." he turned away again.

Squall drained the rest of his glass before he stole Zell's away from him, who was looking like he was going to throw up. He only sent the blonde a glare as if daring him to do it. Zell looked uneasily at Squall. "Man, can't I have a Pepsi or something?" He asked in a low voice.  
Squall glanced around before leaning over to the blonde. "Do you want to be ripped to shreds?" He whispered. Zell's eyes slightly widened and his face went pale. "That's what I thought." The vampire then muttered and went back to his drink. "Just sip the drinks. It won't be as suspicious." He added.

Zell looked around, watching some dancers and pulling a face as he watched a few vampires biting each other as they danced. "Man, vampires are weird." He muttered. Squall turned around to lean against the counter and looked around. "That's their way of saying they want them. It's a mating thing." He muttered to Zell.  
The blonde was looking worried. "How are we going to find Rinoa in this place? It's packed."  
Squall just shook his head. "We keep an eye out for her. Hopefully we'll find her soon or she decides to not come at all." He said to him. Zell looked around. "What about Marius? Is he here?" He whispered to Squall.

The vampire only glanced at him but then looked around. "Better hope not. For your sake."

They say there for a little longer, still looking out for Zell's friend. Squall finally turned to the bartender who was cleaning a glass. "Bartender, tell me about this club. I've never been to this one before."  
The bartender shrugged as he wiped the glass clean. "Well, it's just like the other ones. Built a few years ago and always been a hit. As you see there's three floors in the entire club. This first floor is for everyone. It's where vampires and lycans likes to dance. Sometimes they go to the second floor. But up there is where there's more serious activities."  
Zell turned to look at him. "Serious activities?"  
The bartender just grinned at him. "Feastings. Sometimes vamps likes to take human guests up there and have their fun, ya know what I mean?" He asked winking at Zell, who looked away with wide eyes. Oh he knew what the werewolf meant all right.  
Squall nodded towards the third floor. "What about the top floor?"  
The bartender shook his head. "The third floor is actually the private part of the club. Only VIPs get to go up there. Mostly only vampires. It's probably more wilder up there than these two floors."  
Squall slowly nodded before he looked directly at the bartender. "I have one other question."

The bartender nodded. "Okay. Shoot."

Squall pretended to look very thoughtful. "I heard of a very powerful vampire, that he usually comes here. I just can't remember his name. I think he's the owner of the place. Do you know what the owner's name is of the Darkness Nightclub?" He asked. Zell turned around looking interested again.  
The bartender only grinned. "Oh! Him. Yeah, I know the owner's name. He's my boss, of course. So I have to know his name. His name is Marius."  
Squall didn't looked surprised at all. He only forced a smile. "Ah, yes. That's right. I can't believe I forgot his name. How stupid of me. You wouldn't happen to know if he was here, would you?" He asked. The bartender now looked a little suspicious. He tilted his head. "He might be. Why do you ask?" He asked. Squall shook his head. "Just asking. I heard he's just the best vampire there is in the Underworld."

The bartender grinned and nodded. "Yeah, you could say that. The richest too. He pays very well if you're working for him. Ah, he might be here. If you want to meet him, I suggest you try talking to his right hand man. I know he's here."

Squall narrowed his eyes a little. "Right hand man, hm? Who's that?"

The bartender looked around before pointing towards the farthest corner of the club on the second floor. "He's up there if you want to see him. He spends most of the night talking to others and getting their names. I think he just does it for security reasons. His name is Seifer Almasy."

Squall narrowed his eyes as he spotted the blonde with his back facing him. It was no doubt Seifer. Only he would wear a silver white trench coat like that. The dark haired vampire knew that if Seifer was there, then so was Marius.

"Hey, handsome. You want to dance?" A misty and beautiful voice broke him out of his thoughts.

He turned his head to see a very gorgeous white haired vampiress in front of Zell, who was slightly blushing. The vampiress was wearing a gold top, showing a lot of cleavage. She was wearing a very short black mini skirt with knee high boots. She was looking Zell right in the eye and that was not a good thing.

Squall narrowed his eyes at the vampiress. "Bug off, bitch." He hissed.

The vampiress turned her wild green eyes onto him and hissed at him. "I just want to dance with him." She said in a seductive way.  
Squall hissed right back as he grabbed Zell's hand that was starting to rise to accept the vampiress' offering hand. "Go find someone else. He's taken!" He growled. The vampiress hissed again at him and then stormed off. Zell blinked a few times before looking sheepishly at Squall. "Sorry." He muttered. Squall shook his head. "Don't look them in the eye." He warned before releasing Zell and looking back out at the dance floor.

After a long time, Zell finally decided that he needed to visit the men's room so he left Squall just sitting there, watching him go to the men's room before looking back out. The vampire was keeping his senses trained on Zell's signature, just in case he needed help. His eyes ventured around the room, occasionally looking back up to the second floor to see if he could spot Seifer. He found him still chatting with other vampires. Squall let his eyes rise to the glass ceiling where he could see a shooting star fly across the sky.

With a shrug, he looked back down towards the dance floor. And that was when he spotted her.

She was clearly the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and he had seen quite a lot of beautiful women before. But this one was different from the others. She had an angelic look about her. She was no doubt a few inches shorter than he was and a very lovely figure. She was probably 17 years old, which was a wonder how she got into the club in the first place. She was wearing a thin strapped pearl colored dress that ran to three inches above her knees. Her hair was raven black with copper highlights here at there. Squall couldn't help but admire her creme colored skin. She was almost like a porcelain doll. She definitely had nice legs. If only she would turn around to face him so he could see her face. So far he could only see the side.  
As if she felt his eyes on her, she turned around and looked directly back at him. Squall had to hold his breath so he didn't gasp. She had a drop dead gorgeous face. Her face was angular shaped and very fair. Almost like an angel's face. And what was even better, she was smiling a pure white smile.

Squall and the girl just stared at each other. Her chocolate brown eyes gazed into his dead stormy blue ones. She then smiled sweetly at him and then pointed up at the glass ceiling. Squall could almost read her thoughts. It was like she was asking him if he had seen the shooting star too. He just glanced upwards before looking back at her, tilting his head. The girl smiled even more before she walked towards him. Squall stiffened. 'Oh, shit. She's coming towards me.' He thought. He just remained calm, sipping his drink as she walked towards him.

She stopped a few feet away from him, still smiling her sweet smile. "Hi there. Aren't you the most handsome guy here." She then held out her hand. "Care to dance?" She asked. Her voice was very sweet, almost melodious.

Squall just stared at her before he took a drink of his Bloody Mary. He tried to scan her with his senses to see what she was. To his surprise, she was blocking him. There were very strong mental barriers all around her mind. And that could only mean one thing. She was not a vampire or a human.

"What, you only dance with people like you?" The girl teased when he didn't answer. Squall was amused. But he was going to keep doing his silent treatment, just to see what the girl would do. He just looked her right in the eyes. The girl only smiled. "Okay. Then I will use my special powers."

Squall's looked at her in surprise, yet sharply. 'She's not a sorceress, is she?' He thought. But he shoved that out of his mind when the girl started wriggling her fingers at him.

"You-will-like-me. You-will-like-me." She paused. "Did it work?" She asked smiling. Squall had to smirk at that. He shook his head. "Sorry. I don't dance." he told her. The girl just laughed softly. "Sure you do. I can't be the only one on the dance floor without a partner. Come on." She said. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. He barely had time to set his drink down as the girl practically dragged him to the dance floor. A few vampires watching just laughed.

_**A/N: Okay for the song they're going to dance to, imagine Julia's Eyes On Me, only a techno-dance version.**_

Squall and the girl went to the middle of the floor. The vampire was looking a little uneasy about being in view. He knew that Seifer or Marius could spot him if they were looking. If they did, then his little party crashing plan was going to be for nothing.  
The girl turned to face him as soon as they were in the middle of the floor. She grabbed his hands and placed them onto her hips, making him feel the blood in him rush to his face. She began to dance as soon as a new song came on. The girl just smiled at him and began dancing close to him, like how everyone was around them. Squall just stood there looking embarrassed and confused, while his hands were still on her hips. The girl just smiled as she tried to encourage him to dance, which was only starting out very clumsily.  
A few times Squall stepped on her foot but she didn't seem to mind at all. Some vampires around them were laughing and shaking their heads. The girl would only try to fix their position and they tried again. When they almost stumbled, Squall had enough. He turned to walk away but the girl snatched his hand and pulled him back. More vampires laughed as they watched the couple dancing very clumsily. They weren't the only ones watching.

Zell had returned from the bathroom and had seen Squall trying to dance. He couldn't help but laugh. "Well, at least he found Rinoa."

On the third floor balcony, a certain blonde vampire was watching with amusement. He was again, smoking a cigarette while smirking down at the dance floor. His emerald green eyes sparked with amusement as he was watching the couple. He had taken off his trench coat and had it resting on the back of a chair. His foot propped on the same chair while he was leaning against the railing.  
Seifer turned with a smirk on his face to look over at another table not far from where he was. That was where his dark father was having a few drinks and reading some important papers.

"Hey, Marius." The blonde vampire called.

Marius looked away from the paper, a hint of annoyance. He had been interrupted quite a lot that night and it was getting on his nerves. "What is it, Seifer? Can't you see..." He was saying.

Seifer only shook his head before pointing down towards the dancefloor. "I just thought you'd ought to know, your boy, Lionheart, doesn't know how to dance very well. Maybe you should have taught him before he decided to run out on us."

Marius just sat there, looking at him in confusion before everything sunk in. He dropped the papers onto the table and stood up. He went to join Seifer by the railing and looked down. His eyes searched the floor for a second but fell onto Squall and the girl just as they slammed into another couple. That made Seifer double up with laughter. Marius only winced but couldn't help but laugh. "Well, well, well. Look whose come home." he watched Squall and the girl look back at one another and exchange a few words. And then they really got into the dance. This time, Squall was dancing very well. Both his body and the young woman's was moving in a rhythm. Marius just smiled as he watched. "Seifer, let's go greet our young friend, and welcome him back." He said as he turned and went back to the table. He gathered up the papers and stuffed them into his pocket. Seifer only nodded as he pulled his trench coat back on and the two of them went to the caged elevator.

Squall and the girl just continued to dance, rather close than they had expected but they were dancing much better after the first few tries. None of them seemed to notice their audience. They were just enjoying their dance together. Squall grabbed the girl's hand as she waved them above her head and spun her out, away from him. She just went along with it, laughing softly as he pulled her back. Just as the song turned into a very soft tune. They were standing very close to one another, gazing into each other's eyes.

The girl smiled up at him, in a thankful way before she caught sight of someone over her shoulder. She smiled when she noticed that it was Zell. She looked back at Squall. "Thank you for the dance." She said before starting towards Zell. Squall only followed her with his eyes before his senses kicked in.

Zell just stepped up with a grin. "Hey, Rinoa."

The girl just smiled brightly. "Hi, Zell! What are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed to come to the nightclubs." She said. Zell paused as he looked at Squall, meeting his eyes. He shrugged. "Uh, well..." But he didn't get to finish.

It was because someone was clapping and it caught everyone's attention. Squall turned around and froze. Zell only grabbed Rinoa's arm and pulled her closer to him. There standing the side of the dance floor was Marius and Seifer. A few vampires stood behind them, no doubt their bodyguards. And in Seifer's hand was his Hyperion and his arrogant smirk plastered on his face.

Zell and Rinoa stepped closer to Squall, of course she didn't have a choice because her blonde friend wasn't going to let go of her. They both heard a growl escape Squall's throat as he yanked out his gunblade, activating it. Rinoa had tensed when she saw it. Zell just tightened his grip on his friend. "Marius." Squall hissed.

Marius didn't pay any attention to Zell and Rinoa. He just looked at Squall with a smile. "So, Squall Lionheart. I see you have returned to us. Have you come to rejoin the family, where you belong?" He asked in an amused way.

Squall narrowed his eyes dangerously at his creator. "No. I have not." He hissed.

Marius tsked as he shook his head and folded his arms. "Hm, what a pity. If you have not come to rejoin us, then you must have come to kill me, isn't that right?" He asked. That brought an uproar of hisses all around the club from every single vampire. Rinoa and Zell both jumped as they looked around nervously. Squall just bared his fangs right back at them. Marius held up his hand for a silence, which came quickly. His eyes had darkened. And as they continued to darken, the air became cooler. There was a very unpleasant feeling in the air. "Squall. I made you what you are. You can't hide from what you are now. I gave you a new and better life."

Squall hissed angrily at him. "You destroyed my life, Marius. You made me into a monster. You stole my life from me and gave me nothing but death." His eyes narrowed. "And guess what? It's my turn to return the favor." He hissed coldly.

The air was very cold now and it made goosebumps rise on Zell and Rinoa's arms. Marius looking at Squall in a very dangerous way. It was the exact same look he had given Edea that fateful night. "You refuse my offer to rejoin your family? You dare to refuse me?" The old vampire said in a deadly tone. He stepped forward, his fangs plain in view. Squall knew he had touched a nerve in his old maker. He could feel the fear rising from behind him, mostly likely from Zell and Rinoa. Marius had felt it too. His eyes finally looked to behind him. He smirked coldly. His eyes narrowing on Zell. "Hm. Yes, you may have fooled every single one here in my club. But you can't fool me. I know that your friends there are not vampires." He smiled coldly at Squall. "You brought us a snack, have you?"

Squall narrowed his eyes. "Touch them and you will die, Marius. I do not only refuse you, Marius, but I dare to kill you and your evil spawn!" He snarled as he made his move.

He moved way too quickly for Zell and Rinoa to see. There was only a shout in the crowd and all of the vampires and lycans began to chant and cheer. Every single one was looking upward so the two humans looked up. They didn't know exactly what they were looking at but they could see two blurs in the air bashing into each other. One was just black and the other was red. There was snarls coming from above them. A flash of blue light was swing left and right. There was a loud clang and Squall's gunblade fell from above. It landed on the floor with a loud thud but the two vampires kept on fighting.  
High above everyone's heads, Squall was swinging his fist at Marius, who dodged very easily. He just moved to the side, sending his own fist into the younger vampire's stomach hard. Squall went flying back, smashing into the wall, sending broken pieces of plaster and stone falling. Vampires below quickly moved as they all watched Squall fall from several feet and crash right on the floor. Zell and Rinoa both winced with startled cries as they watched Squall force himself to his knees. His lip was bleeding from biting it with his fang.

Marius fell from above, landing on his feet like it was nothing. He smirked as he looked down at Squall, who was holding his stomach. "Squall, just face it. You can't beat me. I'm much older and stronger. And I am definitely smarter than you." He said walking forward.

Squall sucked on his lip before spitting the blood out of his mouth near Marius' feet. He forced himself to his own feet. He snarled at Marius as he charged again. Marius just stood there with his hands folded behind his back. His eyes then flashed blood red and he sent a telepathic stab into Squall's chest.

The younger vampire cried out in pain as he staggered back, clutching his chest. Marius just smirked evilly. "Don't fight me, my son. Rejoin my side. Help me destroy the Black Magic Circle."

Squall was bent over a little from pain. But he glared right at Marius. "Never." He hissed.

Marius sighed looking agitated. "Very well. You have chose to defy me once again. Now you will die." he said as his eyes grew very dark. His face twisted with aggression and he sped forward, kicking Squall right in the chest. Squall flew back and hit the wall, sending debris flying. He yelled out in pain but was cut off as Marius kicked up hard right into his face. Blood flew from Squall's mouth as Marius jumped back, raising his sharp nails.

"NO! Leave him alone!" Zell yelled as he raced forward to stand right between Squall and Marius. Rinoa only gasped and tried to make a grab for him but he slipped right through her fingers. Marius held his hand as he looked at Zell. The blonde was just standing in a fighting stance, his face very dark. "If you want to kill Squall, you'll have to get through me." He said dangerously.

Squall held his chest as he forced himself to his knees. "Zell! What did I tell you?!" He growled. Zell didn't look at him. "I don't care, Squall! He's not going to kill you with me here!"

Marius only laughed before he glanced over his shoulder at Seifer. "Seifer." The blonde vampire only nodded before vanished.

Just then Zell felt something just slam right into him. He went flying to the ground, at least twenty feet from where he had been. He cried out as he landed on his side. He groaned as he tried to stand up again only to feel someone grab his shirt and yank him to his feet. He looked to see that it was Seifer, smirking evilly. "Nice try, Chickenwuss."

Rinoa let out a scream as she had just watched her friend just get hit twenty feet away. She started to rush to go help him but a vampire grabbed her arm and yanked her back. Rinoa gasped as she almost lost her footing. She turned to look at the vampire. "Where are you going, my pretty?" The vampire hissed before he opened his mouth wide. Rinoa's eyes darkened and her terrified look melted away. "Get the hell off of me!" She yelled at him as she threw her hand out towards him.  
Instead of hitting him, white light surrounded her and he went flying away from her. There was gasps as vampires and lycans quickly backed away from her. The light around Rinoa grew brighter making all eyes turn to her.

Marius was looking very surprised. Seifer had dropped Zell and spun around to look at her. His face had gone paler than usual. Zell was looking just as surprised. "Oh shit!" Seifer turned a glare onto the bouncers. "You let a god damned witch in here?!" He yelled at the bouncers who were looking very frightened.

The young woman's eyes were glowing white as she glared towards Marius. "Leave them alone!" She said angrily. Marius forced a smile as he stepped closer to her. "Well, well. A white Sorceress. I knew I recognized your signature. You are a Caraway witch, aren't you?" He asked. Rinoa glared at him. She held up her hands, which were glowing with white spells. "No! I'm a Heartilly! Now back away from them!" She demanded.

Marius looked over then smirked. "Yes, you have a very strong magical essence but you are no match for me." He said as he walked towards her.

Rinoa tensed. She was getting bad vibes from this one and she didn't' like it. "Stay away!" She yelled flinging one of the spells at him.

Marius dodged to the side, as the spell barely missed him. He just grinned as he started to rush Rinoa but he didn't go any farther. Squall had finally caught himself and stood up. He quickly leapt onto Marius and they again began to fight. A few vampires began to rush Rinoa, with their fangs bared. Rinoa just flung spells at them, sending the screaming across the club.  
Zell had gotten to his knees before he kicked Seifer hard in the back. The vampire flew forward and hit the ground. He hadn't been expecting that attack. The martial artist was on him in no time. He began swinging at Seifer, laying hits on him every where. Seifer snarled and then shoved him right off of him. Zell flew back away from him, catching himself on a railing. Seifer went for his Hyperion, however, Zell moved rather quickly. He kicked the gunblade out of reach. "Hell no you don't, you jerk! You're playing with me fair and square!" He yelled before punching Seifer in the face. The vampire's head jerked to the side with a snap but then he looked at Zell with a deadly look. "Human, you are messing with the wrong vampire." He snarled. He flashed his fangs at him. Zell gritted his teeth, nervously but he was going to fight this to the end if he had to.

Squall and Marius were locked in a deadly battle, each holding each other by the throats and squeezing. "Squall! You're a foolish child! You won't win!" Marius yelled at him. He sent his free fist into Squall's stomach, making him stagger back away from him. He only hissed angrily and attacked back, swing his foot right into Marius' side, who only grunted. "I don't care to win, Marius! I care to kill you!" He snarled as he swung his fist.

Marius blocked his fist and threw himself forward and around Squall. He wrapped his arm around Squall's neck and held tight. The younger vampire could feel his neck being crushed by the strength of his maker. "Time to die, Lionheart."

Then Squall felt Marius sink his fangs into his neck. Blood sprayed as the fangs cut into him. Squall gasped in pain as he felt Marius draining him. He tried to throw off the older vampire but it was too difficult. He could feel his precious blood supply being pulled away from his heart. Gritting, his teeth, he tried to force himself to his feet. Marius went with him but then slammed into the wall as he continued to drink. Squall was growing very weak. He fell to his knees, still trying to throw Marius off but it was no use. Marius pulled away, letting the blood drip down his front as he let the younger vampire fall to the ground, too weak to get up. The ancient vampire laughed cruelly as he bent down beside Squall. "This is where you say your last words, Squall. Before you die." He said as he started to bend down to finish him off.

Suddenly something crashed right into him, sending him flying away from Squall, who just laid on the ground, bleeding from the neck. Marius quickly got to his knees, hissing angrily as he looked around for what hit him. He spotted Seifer getting to his feet.

"Damn it! That human is a pain in the ass!" The blonde exclaimed. He turned around just as a bottle came flying right at him. It smashed against his head sending him flying back to the ground.

Zell was behind the bar and now throwing bottles at him. He looked over at Rinoa who was burning a vampire with a fire spell. "Hey, Rin! Light this up!" He yelled throwing a bottle in the air. Rinoa quickly turned to see the target and then threw a Flare. The bottle exploded by impact. Zell grinned wickedly. "Do it again!" He yelled throwing the next bottle at some charging vampires. Rinoa blasted the bottle with fire making it explode and send two vampires flying. "Damn! This stuff is strong!" Zell said whistling.

Unfortunately the whole club was on fire and now vampires and lycans were fleeing for their undead lives. Marius quickly stood. "Seifer! Let these fools burn with the club!" He snarled as he raced for the door. Seifer quickly seized his gunblade and ran after his maker.

Zell flinched as there was another explosion from some of the bottles. He quickly jumped over the bar and raced over to where Rinoa was powering down. "Okay, Zell! That wasn't very smart! We need to get out of here!" She yelled. Zell nodded before he spotted Squall's gunblade. "Oh no! Squall?!" He exclaimed and looked around. Rinoa pointed. "Over there!" She yelled. The two of them rushed over to Squall's side. Zell dropped down by him. "Squall! Squall! Wake up!" He yelled shaking the vampire.  
Rinoa's eyes went wide as she saw Squall's blood all over him and the floor. She quickly touched his neck to see if he was alive. Her eyes grew wide. "Zell! He's dead!" She cried out.

Zell's eyes widened. "No! He can't be..." He then paused and frowned. "Wait a second. No he's not! I mean, yes! He's dead but he's not dead dead!" He saw the confused look on Rinoa's face. "Rinoa! He's a vampire! He's the undead!" He told her. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell. Zell looked Squall over, frowning. "Aw, man. He's lost a lot of blood. We have to get him out of here!" He said as he lift Squall up onto his shoulders. He snatched up the gunblade as he did. "Come on, Rinoa! We have to get out of here!" He said. The two of them rushed out of the club to Squall's car in the alley.

The blonde quickly threw the back door open and put the unconscious Squall in the back. Then he climbed into the front seat as Rinoa climbed into the passenger seat. "Hurry, Zell! We have to take him to the hospital!" She said slamming the door shut. Zell slammed his shut and started up the car. "We can't do that! We have to go to Laguna! He'll know what to do!" He said as he sped out of the alley.

Rinoa just held onto her seat, looking nervous as Zell sped down the street. "Zell! The hospital is back the other way!" She said pointing over her shoulder. Zell shook his head. "We're not going to the hospital!" he yelled over the roaring engine. Rinoa gave him a wide eyed look. "What?! Why not?!" She exclaimed. Zell shook his head. "He's a vampire! He's undead! We take him to the hospital and they'll pronounce him really dead! And then they'll put him the morgue and then he'll bleed to death!"  
Rinoa looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you serious?! He's a vampire?!" She gasped as Zell made a sharp turn onto another road, almost clipping another car's bumper in the process.

The blonde nodded. "Yes! I can't explain right now, Rinoa! But we have to get some help! He's lost too much blood and he will die if we don't replace it!" He said. Rinoa stared at him with wide eyes before looking back at Squall. "He's a vampire."

Zell nodded as he continued to drive. "Yeah, he is."

Rinoa looked at him. "Zell! We have to kill him! He's a vampire!" She exclaimed with shock. Zell nearly crashed into another car as he jumped in his seat. He looked sharply at Rinoa. "What?! We can't kill him! Why should we kill him!" He exclaimed. Rinoa shook her head. "Look, Zell! I don't have time to explain! But I'm not exactly who you think I am. I'm a white sorceress in a secret organization..." She was saying.

Zell looked sharply at her. "Wait! You're in the White Magic Circle?!"

Rinoa's eyes widened when she heard that. "You know about it?! But how do you know?! Your not suppose...!" She was saying again.

Zell slowed down a little because he knew that at the speed he was going, it was too dangerous. "I'm in the Black Magic Circle, Rinoa! So's Squall! That's how I know about it!" He said. Rinoa just stared, her jaw had fallen to its limit. "You? But...then you're a hunter?!" She gasped.

Zell nodded. "Yeah! This is my first night on the job actually. Squall's a vampire and he's with the Circle too. So we can't kill him. We need to give him blood but the manor is way on the other side of the city. It'll take too long and we'll lose him!" He then pulled a face. "Oh, damn. I didn't want it to come to this. But he's got to bite one of us. I'd prefer him not to but..." He was saying.

"No..." Someone groaned.

Both Zell and Rinoa looked back at the vampire in the back seat. Squall was semi awake and he was clutching his chest in pain. He was trying to sit himself up. "...n-no...I won't bite any of you...There's another way..." He groaned as he pressed his hand against the gash in his neck. Zell looked forward again as he drove. "What are you talking about?! What way?! You want us to kill someone so you can drink from them?!" He gasped as he swerved to miss a jogger.

Squall shook his head as he rest his head onto the back of the seat. "...of course not, Zell." He said weakly. He was blinking rapidly as he tried to get rid of the dizziness. "...I can drink...from animal blood..." He almost lost consciousness again.  
Rinoa then gasped and pointed. "Zell! Irvine's house!" She cried out.

Zell's eyes lit up and he made a last minute sharp turn making Squall gasp out in pain. "Sorry about that, bud!" The blonde called from over his shoulder.

**A/N: Makes you wanna kill Marius, doesn't it? **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Yeah, I knew you all were going to like that last chapter. lol. Anyway, in this chapter, Zell and Rinoa gets Squall a little outside of the Circle help. Not really good. But let's see what happens. Read and review.**

**Chapter 9.**

The car came to a screeching stop in front of a house. The lights were on which was a big relief to Zell. He quickly turned the car off and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Rinoa was already out of the car and rushing to the other side to open the door.  
Zell just looked at her. "Rinoa! Get the door!" He told her as he opened up the back door and pulled the vampire out. Squall was just barely conscious so he wasn't really sure where he was.  
Rinoa just nodded as she rushed down the sidewalk towards the house. She was practically pounding on the front door. "Irvine! Open up! Please!" She screamed. Zell was hurrying down the path with Squall's arm over his shoulders and he was practically dragging him. His other arm was supporting him from under his arms.

Finally the door opened to reveal a very annoyed looking cowboy standing there. He had long ginger colored hair that was pulled up in a ponytail with his bangs hanging around his face. He was wearing blue jeans and a loose black tank top. His eyes narrowed as he glared at who had been pounding on the door.  
"All right! What's the big..." He stopped when he saw Rinoa. "Rinoa? Do you even realize that I'm here on a date with..." The cowboy stopped when he noticed that there was blood on her dress. "Oh my god. You were in an accident, weren't you?" He then saw Zell half carrying the bleeding vampire. His eyes widened seeing all of the blood. "And I bet you let Zell do the driving." He muttered before wincing at the sight. "What the hell happened?!" He exclaimed as he moved aside to let them, ignoring the glare Zell shot him.

Both Zell and Rinoa hurried into the house. "Irvine, I really don't have time to answer any questions. But do you have any thawed meat in the fridge? Steaks, beef, anything bloody?" Zell asked still a little annoyed about the earlier remark.

Irvine stared at him with confusion. "What?"

Zell rolled his eyes. "Come on, Irvine! Help me out here! He's friggen heavy!" He exclaimed. The cowboy jumped but hurried over to grab Squall's other arm, who was panting heavily from the loss of blood. "Man, what the hell happened?! How did this guy get like this?" He asked as he helped Zell carry the man in black into the front room.

Unfortunately there was a girl already there. It was Selphie. But the looks of it, she had just got done making out with the cowboy. Her green eyes widened at the sight of the bleeding young man. She quickly jumped off the couch. "Oh my! What happened?!" She gasped. Zell and Irvine carried Squall over to the couch and sat him onto it. Squall's eyes were half way closed and he was still bleeding. Zell looked at Rinoa. "Rin, invade Irvine's fridge for something!" He said. Rinoa nodded and rushed out of the room. Irvine looked annoyed by this time. "Yo! Zell! Talk to me, damn it! What happened!" He demanded, his Galbadian accent kicking in thick.

Zell looked at him as he stood up straight. "Okay. I know this sounds strange and I know that you will not believe me. But this is Squall. He's a vampire and he's been drained by another vampire. He lost a lot of blood and we need rare steaks to fill him back up. You know, bloody steaks." He said rather quickly.

Both Irvine and Selphie stared at him with wide eyes. They were quiet for a second before the cowboy gave Zell a look as if he had just gone crazy.

"Zell, are you feeling okay?"

Zell sighed with frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair. "No! I don't feel okay! I feel like I'm going to be sick! I drank blood earlier just so that I could fool a bunch of blood sucking maniacs, no offense, Squall. I had to drink more blood just so that I could convince a stinking werewolf bartender that I was a vampire, I almost get killed by another vampire and my new friend who is of the undead is going to die if we don't give him more blood!" He spotted Rinoa coming back into the room carrying packages of steak. "Oh! And I just found out that one of my best friends is a witch!"

Rinoa gave him a dirty look. "Zell, cool it, will you!" She rushed over to their side and held out the package. "Here."

Zell quickly took the package and ripped the plastic off. "Zell, what are you doing?!" Irvine yelled. Zell didn't answer as he grabbed the first steak and held it up to Squall's mouth. "Come on, Squall! Open your eyes! We've got rare steaks for you!" He said. Squall didn't respond. He was just too weak to. Zell pulled a face as he looked at Irvine. "Irvine, you're going to have to open his mouth."

Irvine looked like he was going to be sick. "Zell, I really think you need to see a doctor because..." he stopped talking when he saw the look on Zell's face.

"Irvine, I swear if you don't open his god damned mouth right now, I will tell Selphie about that one girl at the mall." He hissed under his breath. Irvine winced but he hurried forward and opened Squall's mouth. Zell stood over him, now squeezing the steak so that the juices began dripping into Squall's mouth. Selphie and Rinoa both squealed in disgusted while Irvine nearly gagged and turned his head away.

"Zell! That is so gross! Stop it!" Selphie demanded.

The blonde ignored her as he squeeze the steak until there was nothing left. Rinoa was already ripping the plastic off of the other one. "Here, Zell!" She said holding it out to her. Selphie and Irvine gave her a wide eyed look. "Rinoa!" They gasped but their friend ignored them. Zell just began squeezing the next steak. Irvine gagged and pulled away. "Damn it, Zell! That's enough! This guy isn't a vampire! I bet you as soon as he wakes up, he's going to..." He was saying.

But that was the que for Squall to open his eyes and he snatched the steak away from Zell, who jumped a little but looked relieved. The others had jumped as well but they weren't ready for what would happen next. Squall sank his fangs into the meat and began to drink as much as he could. Everyone was staring with wide eyes. Zell blew out a relieved sigh. "Oh, god. You're okay." He said. Squall didn't say anything until he was finished. He just tilted his head and squeezed his eyes shut as he hissed with pain. Rinoa stepped closer to get a better look. All four humans could see the gashes in his neck starting to heal up like it was nothing.

"Oh my god." Selphie whispered. Squall's eyes opened again and he looked like he was still in pain. Rinoa looked him over in concern. "Are you feeling any better?"

Squall shook his head as he closed his eyes again. He felt Zell bent down next to him. "No...I'm still...I'm still too weak. I need more..." He said very weakly. Zell nodded. "Okay. We'll get you some more." He turned to the shocked Irvine. "Irvine, you have anymore?" He asked. Irvine just stared at Squall in shock. Rinoa grabbed his arm. "Irvine!"

The cowboy jumped and looked at her. "What?"

"He needs more blood. Do you have anymore steaks?" Rinoa asked. Irvine just nodded as he hurried out of the room. It was more than likely he just wanted to get out of there.

Selphie sank into another just staring at Squall in wonder. "So...you're a real vampire?" She asked in surprise. Squall's eyes snapped open and he looked at her. He looked more alert than he had a minute ago. After a second, he looked around, still rather weak. "Where am I?" He asked seriously. Zell winced as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well...we're at my friend's house. He was the closest and you were pretty much dying in the back seat. We didn't know what to do, Squall. The manor is way on the other side of city. It would have taken too long to get there and you could have died by then." He said weakly.

Squall grimaced as he closed his eyes again. "I get the idea." He shook his head. "Edea's going to be pissed about this, Dincht."

Zell winced. "We're not going to be in trouble are we?"

Squall opened one eye and looked at him. "I've been in trouble with her for a long time. Since Marius changed me. It's more than likely I'll be in more trouble than you will be." he told him. Rinoa sat down as she looked at the gash. "Do you mean Edea Kramer?" She asked. Squall opened both eyes and looked at her. Irvine had returned with the raw meat.

There was a long silence before Squall slowly nodded. "Yeah. So if you know her, than I suppose that would mean you're apart of the Circle as well. Though I didn't know about any others."

Rinoa shook her head as she looked at him. "I'm in the White Magic Circle. I'm a White Sorceress. My father is General Caraway. He's the leader." She said. Squall was emotionless as always and that un-nerved the mortals a little. Selphie looked at Zell. "Zell, how did you know that he was a vampire anyway?" She asked. Zell blushed and rubbed his head. "Well, that's kind of hard to explain. I kind of found out the hard way."

Squall weakly smirked at him. "He was attacked by werewolves and I helped him out." He said. Zell nodded. "He saved my life. And he saved it again at the bar."

Squall looked seriously at him. "Speaking of which, I thought I told you not to act like a hero." he said. Zell rolled his eyes as he backed away and sank into a chair. "Oh, shut up. I was just trying to help." he said. Squall grimaced in pain as he tilted his head to the side again. "Damn that Marius. He nearly drained me half dry." He muttered. Rinoa took the steaks from Irvine and gave them to Squall. He took them wordlessly and just peeled the plastic back before sinking his fangs into the meat.

"What does Marius have against you?" Rinoa asked she watched him. Squall pulled away from the meat again and gave her a look. "What were you doing there in the first place? You knew that Marius was a vampire, didn't you?" He asked ignoring her question.

Rinoa pulled a face before nodding. "I knew."

Zell glared at her. "Before or after I told you he was?" He asked. Rinoa rolled her eyes. "Zell, shut up! I knew way before. My father sent me on a mission to spy on him. I was going to pretend to get a job at his nightclub so I could watch him carefully." She said. Squall rolled his eyes. "Well, Caraway's not that smart then." He said. Rinoa shot him a dark look. "Excuse me?!" She demanded. Zell winced knowing that there was going to be a fight.  
Squall gave her a dead stare. "Marius is not stupid. He would have figured you out faster than you could cast a spell. I am one of his dark children and I know him very well. You would have never had a chance. He would have killed you the very second he found out what you were." He said. Rinoa folded her arms and turned away from him, sulking. Zell shook his head. "Rin, he's right. Marius is the one that changed him in the first place."

Irvine and Selphie were just listening carefully before they looked back at Squall. "What does this Marius have against you to try to kill you anyway?" The perky brunette asked.

Squall glanced at her before going back to the meat. He drank from it for a long moment before deciding to answer. "It's the fact that I'm a vampire who doesn't want to be a vampire. Marius wanted me to be on his side just to spite my father, Laguna Loire."

Selphie's eyes grew bright. "Your dad is Laguna Loire?!" She gasped. Squall looked at her in confusion. "Yeah. What of it?" He asked. Selphie giggled. "Laguna is like the best journalist ever! I just love his work!" She said merrily. Squall just stared at her before going back to drinking from the steak. "Not to mention, he is so hot!" Selphie exclaimed. Squall had been drinking from the meat again before he nearly inhaled the blood. He went into a coughing fit right into his hand. Zell and Rinoa just burst into laughter while Irvine scowled.

After a while, Squall's strength was still very weak but he was able to sit up without support. It was only unfortunate that Irvine had run out of steaks. It was growing very late now and Squall knew he had to get back to the manor. He needed more blood and it was more than likely that Laguna was freaking out about how late it was getting without a check in. Zell had his other worries though. He just knew that he was going to be dead when he got home.

Selphie had to leave too but before she did, Zell held her back. "You guys, look. You can't tell anyone about Squall. Not one soul." He said. Both Irvine and Selphie looked at him. "Huh? Why?" The short girl asked. Squall shook his head. "For one, no one would believe you. For another, the Circles are suppose to be top secret. It would only break the rules if the entire city knew that there was vampires and werewolves in Deling."

Selphie cringed. "They're every where aren't they?" She asked nervously. Squall looked at her before nodded. "Yeah. They are. But I wouldn't worry too much. There's hunters all over the place too. You're more than safe." He said. Selphie nodded as she looked at Irvine, who shrugged. "Irvy, you don't think you can give me a ride or anything? Hearing about vampires and werewolves kind of freaked me out."

The cowboy nodded before looking at the three. "Ya can stay as long as ya want. I'll be back in 'bout fifteen minutes." he said. The three only nodded.

"Thank you, Irve. You mind me using your phone. Mom's gonna kill me if I don't let her know that I'm all right." Zell said. Irvine only nodded. "Sure. Go ahead." He said before he left.

Zell went over to the phone. Rinoa just continued to watch Squall as he mopped himself up with a wet towel. She felt pity going out to this vampire. She had always known that vampires were nothing but blood sucking barbarians. But now that she was meeting Squall, she figured that not all vampires were bad.

"So, are you going to stare at me the entire night, or are you going to tell me what's on your mind?"

Rinoa blinked several times before she realized that she was still watching him even though he had stopped cleaning himself up. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks but she hid it with a glare aimed at him. "I'm not staring at you! I was thinking about the night events." She said it a little harsher than she had meant to. When she realized it, she covered her mouth. "Oh! Sorry."

Squall only glanced at her before shaking his head. "Whatever."

Rinoa again felt angry for his lack of words. She didn't understand why she was feeling like that. Maybe she was just too tired. She shook her head as she stood up and looked herself over. She was cursing herself that she didn't have any extra cloths so she clean herself up and get out of the blood stained dress. She looked over when Zell entered the room again.

"Well, here's a hint of advice. Don't ever piss my mom off. She can lecture your ears right off."

Rinoa giggled and she shook her head. She looked back at Squall. "What about your family, Squall? Shouldn't you call in and tell them where you are?"

Squall raised an eyebrow as he looked up at her. "I don't tell them anything unless I really have to." he said skeptically. Rinoa rolled her eyes as she placed her hand on her hip. "Well you have to! Shouldn't your father be told about how you almost were killed tonight?"

Squall's eyes darkened a little as he placed the towel across his lap. "Look, I can deal with him. I don't tell him a few things for a very good reason. Stuff like this would make him paranoid every time I go out for my hunts. He's better off not knowing." He said darkly. Rinoa scoffed as she folded her arms. "Some son you are. You're suppose to tell him about things like this." She said. Zell was looking very uneasy between the two. He was sure if he didn't do something, the real fight was going to be begin.

The vampire and the sorceress were still glaring at one another when Irvine came back. He stopped in the doorway and looked at the two. "Oh boy. Maybe I should have taken Selphie up with that offer of sleeping over at her place." He said uneasily. Squall shook his head as he forced himself to his feet, yet did it very unstable like. Zell had grabbed his arm and tried to help him up. Unfortunately, the vampire didn't want help.

"No need. I need to get back my apartment anyways."

Irvine rubbed the back of his neck. "Ya sure? I don't mind ya staying longer." He said, though that was a flat out lie. Again Squall shook his head. "It'd be better if I left now. I still need more blood to heal properly." he had motioned to his neck wound when he said that. Zell nodded. "I'll drive you home. You've lost too much blood and it wouldn't be a good idea if you drove in this condition."

Squall only glanced at him before nodding. "Yeah, you're probably right." He then looked at Rinoa. "She'll need a ride. If I'm not wrong, her home is on the way." he said. Rinoa was still angry at him to answer so she just folded her arms and turned her back onto him. Squall only ignored her as he just turned and started for the door but winced in pain as the gash in his neck throbbed again. He staggered back right into Zell.

Zell put an around him to steady him. "Here, let me help."

Squall only shook his head. "I don't need help." He said pulling away and starting towards the door. Zell stepped to his side and stayed there until he nearly fell over again, which almost came if it weren't for him. The blonde caught him and didn't let go when the vampire tried to pull away. "Squall, don't make me have to knock you out just to help you out to the car. You need help and I'm going to help." He warned him when Squall started to protest. The vampire only growled at him but said nothing. He knew Zell was right. He did need help and it was best to let him.

Irvine pulled the door open for them. "Hey, you guys gonna be all right?" He asked. Zell nodded as he looked at his friend gratefully. "Yeah. We'll be fine. Thanks a million, Irv. We really owe you, big time."

Irvine forced a smile as he watched Zell and Squall head towards the car with Rinoa behind them. "Just promise me one thing. You'll never try to suck my blood or anything."

Both Zell and Rinoa cracked smiles while Squall rolled his eyes. He turned around to look back at the cowboy. "I don't like western food." he said. Irvine just glared at him but laughed when his two friends did.

After saying their good-byes to the cowboy and getting his promise that he wouldn't tell anyone about meeting a real live vampire, the three were off. Squall was sitting the back, resting for a while to try and bring his strength back up. Zell was driving the car, which took Squall a while to give him permission. Rinoa was looking out the window, watching the light posts go by while still in deep thought. She was thinking about the night's events. Thinking about the vampire in the backseat. How could he have survived all these years as a creature of the night? She didn't think she could ever survive. She pitied him, though she had a feeling he wouldn't like that if he found out.

"Hey, Rin. We're here." She heard Zell's voice yanking her out of her thoughts.

Rinoa looked at him then back out the window. They were in front of her house. A few of the lights were on. She looked back at Zell with a smile. "Thanks, Zell." She glanced over her shoulder. "Are you going to be all right with this guy?" She asked nervously. Zell pulled a face at her. "Of course I'm going to be all right. Squall's not bad. Just trust me." he said. Rinoa nodded. "I believe you. It's just, he's lost a lot of blood and I heard once a vampire needs blood they could attack anyone. Even if they don't mean to."

Squall opened one eye at that. "I'm not going drink from him, Miss Caraway." He said sounding a little annoyed.

Rinoa frowned right back at him. She opened the door and stepped out. Before she closed it, she leaned back into the car to look at the vampire. "It's Heartilly. Not Caraway." Then she slammed the door and stomped towards the house.

Zell winced before glancing back at Squall. "She's doesn't like being called Caraway. She and her dad don't get along very well and so she took up her mother's maiden name. Just to let you know." He said as he started to drive again.

Squall shook his head as he closed his eye again. The blonde kept looking into the rear view mirror, though seeing Squall in it was very hard. He was very concerned for his new friend. He only hoped that Squall could last for a while until they could get him some more blood.

"Tell me," The very quiet voice from the backseat made him jump a little when he heard it. ", why did you help me?" Squall asked.

Zell looked back in the mirror at Squall's very faint reflection. The vampire was watching him with his dying blue eyes. The blonde pulled a face and he rose an eyebrow. "Is that a trick question?" He asked in a humorous way. Squall didn't show any reaction to it at all. He just watched him. Zell shrugged as he turned his attention back to the road. "I like you, Squall. You seem like a real good guy. Even if you're a vampire." He paused before looking back at the mirror. Squall was still watching him with those dead looking eyes. He was showing no emotion at all. He was almost like a statue, unblinking, just staring a cold stare. "Laguna told me something about you when I asked. He told me that you needed a friend. So I want to be that friend." Zell said still looking back at the vampire. He was now waiting for the sarcastic remark while holding his breath. But it didn't exactly come.

Instead Squall's eyes slowly narrowed as a distant look appeared on his face. It was like he was trying to remember what the meaning was to that word. Zell couldn't really blame him. After all these years of being a vampire, being rejected by the other Circle members, he wouldn't be surprised if Squall had forgotten what a friend was. Zell knew it was his job to remind him. That was what he did. He remembered how hard it was for Irvine to get a friend because he dressed up like a cowboy all the time. Not many people did that anymore. But still, Zell befriended him and helped him meet the girl of his dreams.

They were quiet for the rest of the drive until Squall nodded towards an apartment building. "That's it." He told Zell. Zell nodded and pulled up into the front.

After shutting off the engine, Zell quickly went to help Squall out. The vampire, of course, didn't seem to want his help but Zell kept on trying so he just let him. They locked up the car and then went into the apartment building, ignoring a few looks they got from a few people. They climbed to the third floor where Squall's apartment was held.  
Once Squall unlocked the door, they both went in and the blonde began looking around. The apartment was very dark, even when Squall turned the lights on. The lights were very dim, probably just for the vampire's sake. There wasn't very much furniture either. There was a couch, a few chairs, in the kitchen Zell spotted a table and a fridge. There were thick curtains over the windows. There didn't seem very much in the apartment at all.  
Squall went into the kitchen and pulled the fridge door open. He didn't even glance at Zell when the blonde began to wander around. He just reached in and pulled out a blood packet. He heard Zell's footsteps wandering around in the living room, which made him glance over.

"Don't touch anything." He called into the front room before he tore open the plastic and began to drink.

Unfortunately for Zell, he had just walked in when he did. He pulled a face as he watched the vampire drink the blood. Squall just ignored him, drinking with a pleasant look on his face. He drained the entire packet dry before tossing it away. He looked back at Zell. "It's nearly 3:00 now. How far is your house?" He asked quietly. Zell gave a lazy shrug as he tried to think. "It's on Boulevard street. At least," He paused trying to think. Squall only shook his head. "It's 30 blocks away. It would take you two hours just to walk and I'm still too weak to drive. It'd probably best if you stayed here for the night." he said. Zell looked a little worried. "Man, mom's going to kill me when she gets the chance." He muttered. Squall tilted his head as he pulled off his bloody jacket. "Rather be killed by a mother than a night dweller." He said. Zell smiled with a nod. "Not joshing there. I'll just crash here on your couch. I might leave around noon though." He said. Squall just shrugged. "Whatever. Just do it quietly because it'd be better if you did. For your sake anyway." he warned him.

Later, after taking a shower, and letting Zell wash up himself, Squall just spent the rest of the night in his room, cleaning his Gunblade and his extra gun. He was also thinking about what Zell had said to him on the drive over. He hadn't had a friend for a very long time, since before his change. He didn't think he need a friend anymore. What use was a friend to him when he was the undead? It would only end in tragedy. But then again, he did find this Zell interesting. Annoying and a loud mouth but interesting. Just maybe, a friendship could work out. The vampire would have to wait and see.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10.**

Zell woke up around noon, wondering where he was. He didn't exactly remember what had happened and it took a minute to sink in. He glanced around the apartment, trying to remember whose apartment it was. Then everything came flooding back. He remembered the night's events and where he was. It made him shudder to think about it. The blonde climbed off the couch, pushing the blanket he had borrowed from Squall away from him. He stretched a few times, punched at the air to crack his back and then he folded up the blanket. He had to get home to check in. He knew that Ma Dincht was going to be mad. He was suppose to go home the night before. It was more than likely he was going to get an ear whipping, what Zell liked to call his mother's lectures.

Glancing around for his shoes he looked over at the black door he had learned to lead to Squall's room. That had been the number one rule the vampire had told to Zell. He was never to go in there. Not that Zell would. Especially if there was a sleeping vampire in there who could wake up the very second the door opened.

Zell quietly pulled his shoes on and then his jacket. He quietly went to the front door and left the apartment, locking the door after he left.

Zell made his way down the street, looking around as he went. He started cursing himself when he remembered his bike was still at the mansion. He would have to pick it up when he got the chance. Which probably wouldn't be for a while. He would have to try to think of a plan to covering up his new job. He couldn't just tell his mother that he was now a hunter. That just didn't seem like a good idea. He knew how it might sound if he would tell her about how he hunted vampires and werewolves. He just knew that it wouldn't be pretty. He would have to come up with something, somehow.

While Zell was walking, he kept getting a weird feeling that someone was watching him. The hairs on the back of his neck was prickling and it didn't feel right. He slowed his pace and glanced around. Of course, there were other people walking on the same sidewalk as him but none of them were looking at him. The blonde shrugged and continued to walk along the path. He still could feel eyes on him. He didn't like it at all so he figured he had better be a little more cautious. He glanced around before quickening his pace.  
He walked a few more blocks before turning a corner and ducking into a little shop. After closing the door, he hid by the wall looking out the window, his blue eyes searching for anyone that could have been following him. For a very long minute, no one turned the corner that he had turned, looking for him. But then someone did. And Zell recognized him. How could the blonde not know this man. He had remembered him very well from the night that he met Squall.

It was that lycan, Rajin.

Had he been the one following Zell? When did he even start? It made Zell worry even more. Why was Rajin following him anyways? He made up his mind that he would find out. But he would have to be very careful on how he was going to do this. After all, he was only human and Rajin was a lycan. He was alot stronger than the blonde.

Zell watched Rajin look around before starting to walk down the street. But then the lycan halted in front of the door of the shop and looked at it. Zell held his breath as he tried to hide from view. Rajin just stood there looking at the door before he continued to walk out of view. Zell breathed out slowly before he decided to do the following. He turned and stepped back out of the shop. He carefully glanced around to see if he could find Rajin, but the lycan had vanished. Zell swallowed hard while pulling out his fighting gloves. He quickly slid them on as he began walking down the street in the direction Rajin had gone.

He was just barely passing by an alley when suddenly a hand lashed out from the alley and grabbed him by his shirt. Zell gasped as he was yanked into the ally then shoved against the wall. He looked up right into the face of the lycan, Rajin.

"So, you're the one following me, huh? That's not very smart, ya know." he growled. Zell gritted his teeth and shoved him hard away from him. He immediately snapped to a fighting stance. "You were the one following me. Why?" He demanded. Rajin stood up straight, grinning at the blonde. "Was ordered to. When I get orders, I have to listen to them." He said starting to circle, who moved to keep facing him.

"You're looking for Squall, aren't you? Marius is after him, isn't he?" He growled. The lycan sneered at him. "And Seifer said you were dumb. Why don't you just tell me where he is so you won't get hurt, ya know."

Zell narrowed his eyes at him. "No way! Forget that, dog breath!" He snapped.

Rajin snarled then lunged at him, throwing his fist at Zell. Zell gritted his teeth as he threw his arm up and blocked Rajin's attack. He gave him a smirk. "Not smart, dogman!" He then threw his fist into Rajin's gut, making him yell out in pain. The blonde martial artist spun in a quick circle then kicked the lycan hard in the head, sending him flying back into a trash can. The lycan recovered very quickly. He snarled as he lunged back at Zell, throwing his fists at him. Zell quickly blocked or moved back to avoid the attacks. He had to use everything he could to avoid getting hit. He knew that if he was hit by this guy it was going to hurt bad.

After a while, Zell slammed his fist into Rajin's face sending him flying out of the alley. The lycan landed hard on his back on the street. Zell quickly followed, throwing his fist back to pummel him again when suddenly...

"Freeze!"

He stopped in mid punch and turned to see a police officer aiming his gun at him. The blonde winced as he dropped his hands and stepped back. Rajin quickly stood up. "Officer! Thank goodness, ya know! He tried to mug me!" He said, rubbing his head. Zell gave him a cold look but knew that it wasn't any use. He was in trouble.

Zell was sitting in the jail cell, with a very moody look on his face. He was just leaning against the wall, waiting. He was pretty sure that the police were calling his mother to come pick him up. He knew that things were going to be very ugly when she came to get him. He could almost hear her yelling already.

"Dincht! You've made bail." The officer said unlocking the door.

Zell sighed as he stood up and stepped out of the cell. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and followed the officer out of the cell area. He looked around the headquarters expecting to see Ma Dincht standing there, glaring at him, ready to start lecturing. But to his surprise, his mother was no where to be see.

Instead, it was Laguna.

"Huh?! Laguna?!" He gasped as he dropped his hands from his sides.

Laguna only glanced over at him as he was signing the release papers. He shook his head as he finished and motioned to Zell to follow him. The two of them walked out of the headquarters.

"How'd you know I was in there?" Zell asked as they made their way down the stairs. Laguna just shook his head as he walked. "We have an informative here. When they saw the card I gave you, they called the Manor to see if you really were one of us. What were you doing in jail anyway, Zell? Where's Squall?" He asked. Zell stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Squall's fine. He's back at his apartment, probably still asleep. As for me being in jail, I ran into that dude, Rajin, earlier and he attacked me so I beat the crap out of him. But a cop caught me." he said. Laguna nodded as he tossed his long black bangs out of his eyes. "You've got to watch yourself, Zell. You should never fight lycans by yourself. Especially Rajin. He's one of the strongest in Marius's little pack. And never fight one of them out in public. You don't fight them, they won't fight you." he said. Zell frowned at that before shaking his head. "He was following me, Laguna. He attacked me first."

Laguna glanced at him. "You didn't happen to insult him, did you? Because knowing Rajin out in daylight, he wouldn't attack someone unless they insulted him."

Zell pulled a face. "I guess I kind of did." He said. Laguna nodded. "That's what I thought. Why was he following you?" He asked. Zell shrugged. "He was looking for Squall. He might've thought I was going to lead him to him." He said. Laguna didn't look happy at that. He swore softly under his breath before he stepped up to a nice black mercedes. "Hop in. We'll give you a ride home." He said pulling the passenger door open. Zell's eyes nearly bugged out seeing the nice car but he quickly obeyed in hopping into the back. "We?" He asked as he did so. He immediately shut up when he saw the two men from the other night. The black man was driving while the large man was sitting in the back with Zell. They both gave him a smile in greeting.

"Hello, Dincht. Glad to see you again." The black man said. Zell nodded in return. "Nice to see you again to." He said. They started driving while Laguna turned in his seat. "By the way, Zell. These are my best buds and hunting partners, Kiros," He motioned to the black man, who only lift a hand and waved behind him. "And Ward."

The large man gave Zell a big grin and held out his large hand to him. Zell grinned right back and shook it before noticing the left side of Ward's face had a large scar running down to his throat.

"Man, that's some battle wound. Where'd you get it?" The blonde asked before clapping a hand over his mouth. He knew that had been rude.

Ward only silently laughed before he looked at Laguna, who was smiling sadly. "Ward, here, lost his ability to speak a long time ago. Way before Squall was born. We were hunting for Marius in Timber because we heard he was there. Well, we didn't find Marius. But he sure found some vampires all right." He propped his arm up on the back seat as he just looked at the blonde. "Another clan of vampires. They're just as nasty as Marius's. Maybe even worst. Their leaders are just as nasty as Marius. Though we've never seen them. Anyway, Kiros, Ward and I got into a nasty fight with the vampires and well, the results weren't too good. Ward nearly gotten his throat ripped out by a vampire who tried to feed on him. Luckily, Ward's immune into a vampire's trance other wise he would have been killed."

Zell looked surprised. "You mean, he actually got bit by a vampire?" He asked looking back at the big man, who nodded.

Laguna shrugged. "Hey, you can be bit by a vampire and not turn, Zell. It's only when you get bit and then you bite them. You only become a vampire if you drink a vampire's blood. It's just gonna take a while for the bite marks to heal." He then motioned to Ward. "And as you see, Ward healed but not completely. He lost his ability to speak and it only left a scar."

Zell nodded as he took in the whole story. "Wait, you said he's immune to vampires?" He asked. Laguna pulled a face while Kiros snorted. The black man turned his eyes onto the rear view mirror to look at Zell. "Well, he's not immune. It's just, Ward's got a very strong will. He knows how to block off a vampire's telepathic power. That way, he can't easily be drawn into a trance so that the vampire can feed off of him." He said. Zell smiled. "Whoa! That is so rad!" He said. Ward again laughed silently.

They finally pulled up to Zell's house after the blonde had pointed it out. "Zell, try to get some more rest. Tonight there is a very important meeting. The Black and White Circles are meeting together. All hunters are going to be there." Laguna said. Zell winced as he looked up at his house. "That's if I can go. I'm pretty sure Mom's gonna be pissed once I walked through that door. I never made it home last night. I stayed over at Squall's because he..." His eyes widened when he remembered that he wasn't suppose to tell Laguna what had happened at the club.

Of course, Laguna seemed to see right through him. He frowned with a dull look on his face. "Something happened last night, didn't it?" He asked.

Zell faintly smiled. "Let's just say, he didn't want me to tell ya." He said. Laguna rolled his eyes as he grabbed the door handle and opened the door. "Why am I not suprised? That boy of mine is always hiding something from me. Come on." he said. Zell quickly climbed out with him. Laguna looked back at Kiros and Ward. "Be back in five." They only nodded.

"Uh, Laguna? What exactly are you doing?" Zell asked as he led the man to his house. Laguna stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Well someone's got to tell your mother about your new job. Seeing that you haven't done it yet." He said. Zell cringed. "You're going to tell her that I help hunt and kill vampires? She's not going to like that, you know." he said as he started to open the door. Laguna only smiled at him in a sly way. "You'll see." he said. And they went inside.

Zell peered around the door before entering with Laguna following him. There was no sign of Ma Dincht, which was a relief to the blonde. He stepped into the main hall, still looking around. "Uh, Ma! I'm home!" He called, before cringing. He was just waiting for her to start her yelling. After a long minute, Ma Dincht walked in from the living room, looking a little angry. She looked directly at Zell. "Zell Dincht! Where were you last night! You had me worried sick!" She said.

Zell cowered a little. "Uh..."

Laguna put a cheerful grin on his face as he stepped forward. "Well, I'll be. Amelia Dincht. Should've known that you were Zell's mother." He said. Ma Dincht looked surprised to see Laguna before she smiled. "Laguna Loire?! Oh my goodness! What are you doing here?" She asked smiling. Zell looked a little stunned as he just watched the two converse. How in the world did his mother know Laguna Loire?

Laguna grinned as he pulled his hands out of his pockets. "Well, just giving Zell a ride home. Thought I'd come meet the famous Ma Dincht. 'course, wasn't exactly expecting you. But then again, he does have your outgoing ways." he said. Zell tilted his head as he just looked in between the two. "Hold on a minute. You guys already know each other?" He asked. Laguna looked at him with a grand smile. "Of course we know each other. Your Ma was quite the hunter herself when she was younger." He said. Ma Dincht frowned before looking at Zell. "Wait a minute. Zell, if you know Laguna then..."

Laguna nodded as he turned his eyes back onto her. "Yeah. He's apart of the Circle now, Amelia. Though we weren't going to tell you that. But since it's you, why not?" He asked. Zell was just too astonished to say anything. He didn't know that his mother had been a hunter. He couldn't really imagine his mother going around and killing vampires and lycans. He just couldn't.

"My goodness. Do let me guess? You saved Zell's life and that's how he got mixed up in the whole thing?" Ma Dincht said dully.

Laguna smiled. "That's right. But don't you worry your pretty head, Am. He's done pretty good so far. He went ont his first mission last night with Squall." He said. Ma Dincht didnt' exactly look thrilled to hear that. She gave her son a look. "Zell Dincht! You are lucky that you are alive if you did that! I know as well as Laguna does that Squall always takes the dangerous missions. I should skin you alive!" She said. Zell winced. Laguna only shook his head. "Oh come on, Amelia. He did good. He's alive isn't he?"

Ma Dincht gave him a look. "That does not help my nerves, Laguna." She sighed as she shook her head. "Well, now that he's in the Circle, there's probably no chance of changing your mind." She said. Laguna shook his head. "Not a chance at all. There's a meeting tonight, Am. He's going to need to be there." He said. Ma Dincht nodded. "All right, Laguna. But I swear, if anything happens to Zell, I'm never going to forgive you." She said. Laguna shook his head with a short laugh. "Don't worry, Amelia. Nothing's going to happen to him. You know us. We protect our fresh hunters."

Ma Dincht shook her head as she poked Laguna in the chest. "You better. Or I'll hunt you down."

Laguna looked a little uneasy as he backed away from her, his left leg was starting to twitch a little, making him rub it to keep the ache away. "O-okay, okay! I get the idea! But don't you worry. He's doing good on his own." He looked at Zell. "Remember, Zell. Get some sleep and be at the meeting tonight."

Zell nodded. "Will do. See you tonight." he said. Laguna nodded before giving Ma Dincht a smile. "Good to see you again, Amelia. Come by the mansion some time. The others would love to see you again. Everyone misses you." He said. Ma Dincht nodded. "I might just come visit some time. When I have the chance. But you watch over my son, ya hear, Laguna." She warned him.

Laguna only smiled with a nod. "Don't worry. He'll be fine." He once again looked at Zell. "See you tonight." He then turned and left the house. Zell looked at his mother with interest as soon as they were alone. "Mom, why didn't you tell me you were a hunter?" He asked. Ma Dincht rolled her eyes as she began cleaning up the kitchen. "Oh please, Zell. I didn't want you to know. I hunted supernatural creatures. Would you have believed me?"

Zell grinned. "Ma, this is me you're talking to, remember? I love the supernatural stuff. Of course I would have believed you."

Ma Dincht shook her head. "Well, I didn't really want you to take this course of a career, Zell. I didn't tell you because I knew you would want to do it too. This is a very dangerous path to take." She said. Zell frowned at her. "Mom, I can do this job. I did pretty well last night with Squall." He frowned at the surprised look on Ma Dincht's face. "What?"

"So, you were working with Squall? The vampire?"

Zell really frowned. "Ma, so what if he's a vampire. He's not like the others. He's my new friend, okay?"

Ma Dincht sighed as she shook her head. "I know he's not like the others, Zell. But he's still a vampire. And they are very dangerous. I want you to be careful around him. I know he's been taking all of the dangerous missions. And if you're going to be pairing up with him, you'll be doing them too. Don't you dare get yourself killed, Zell Dincht. Because I will never forgive you." She said. Zell nodded. "Yes, mom."

"Now then, you get your butt upstairs and get into bed. You have a meeting tonight. Since you're joining the Black Magic Circle you have to sleep during the day. Hunters work at night and sleep during the day. It's better that way."

"Yes, mom." And then Zell went upstairs to bed. He had first jumped into the shower before climbing into bed.

* * *

Knock, Knock!

The pounding at the door grew louder as he tried to ignore it. He wasn't in the mood to answering the door for anyone. Especially on what happened the night before. He was afraid it would be that weird vampire guy again. Irvine didn't know how in the world his best friend, Zell even got into whatever mess he had, but the cowboy certainly did not want to get mixed up in whatever his friend was in. He liked being a normal, lady loving, flirtatious young man, thank you very much.

But as he just laid out on his bed in his apartment, he groaned when the pounding grew more louder and it sounded like they were going to break the door down just to get in. He figured he'd better get up before someone decided to break his door into pieces.

"All right! All right! I'm coming, dammit!" Irvine yelled as he climbed off his bed and pulled on a black tank top over his bare chest. He was still cursing as he made his way down the hall into the living room.

Not bothering to pull back the chain link lock, the cowboy carefully opened the door and peeked through the crack at who was there. He froze when he saw six men all wearing black. They all had a cool look on their face while looking around lazily. But when the door opened, one man stepped closer and gave Irvine a serious look. "Ah…..can I help you, gents?" Irvine asked, somewhat nervous.

The man standing in the front just looked Irvine squarely in the eye and it really sent a nervous shiver down the cowboy's back. "Sir, we would like a word with you right now. We have reason to believe that you have been in contact with a very dangerous criminal. We request that you let us search your home for any clues." He said seriously.

Irvine just gave them a weird look but he backed away a little. "Uh…I'm sor-sorry, fellas. But I don't have a clue what ya'll are talking about." He said nervously. But he had a feeling that the guy was talking about that Squall Leonhart guy that showed up with Zell the night before.

Impatiently, the man gave Irvine a serious look. He did not look amused and his men were growling at him. But he held up a hand towards them to keep their mouths shut. "Sir, last night there was a fight at night club last night and several people were killed. One of the suspects was seriously injured but we have to believe that he survived." He shook his head. "Now, we have dogs who tracked his scent to this house. You will let us search your home right now."

Now, Irvine was getting annoyed. He didn't like this guy bossing him around and making demands. He was not one who obeyed anyone. "Sorry, partner. But I ain't letting you into this house if you won't say please. And there certainly wasn't anyone here last night but me and my lady havin' a little twosome party. Now git before I call the police." He warned as he started to close the door.

Bam!

One of the men slammed their hand against the door keeping it from shutting on them. The very action made the cowboy tense up but glare at the men. "We are the police. Now open the god damn door or I'll make you!" The man growled at him.

Wide eyed, Irvine swallowed hard but shook his head. He was definitely uneasy about this. He could have sword he saw the man's eyes starting to glow a little. Almost like a dog's would if light was shone through their eyes. "Now, now, partner. Don't get all high horsey like. If you really are cops, why don't you go get a warrant or……"

WHAM!!

The leader of the group had had enough of Irvine now. He let out a loud growl before throwing himself towards the door, hitting it hard. The door hit Irvine, knocking him backwards and onto the floor. The cowboy, alarmed, quickly held himself up with one arm, while looking up at the "cops" with shock. "He-hey!! What in tarnation……!" He was exclaiming but stopped when one of the men thrust a gun into his face, shutting him up real quick.

"Shut up, pipsqueak!!" The man with the gun snarled at him before looking at the others as they rushed into the house and began to search. "Search the house and find signs of the Lionheart!!" He growled. Irvine just swallowed hard as he just sat on the ground, watching them as they searched his house. 'Man, Zell. I really hate you. What in the hell did you get me into?' He thought.

* * *

Squall's eyes snapped open once the sun had gone down and it was starting to get very dark. He could also feel the thirst nagging at him, demanding for blood. He hated it when it did that. As he laid there, he remembered what had happened the night before. He remembered going to Marius's nightclub with Zell Dincht and ended up getting into a fight with Marius. He had nearly been killed by the vampire leader if it hadn't been for Dincht. He remembered Zell's friends, Irvine and Selphie. That made the vampire groan.

"Damn it. Edea's going to be angry about that."

Two more humans knew about the secret world. Just because he fought Marius and lost. Squall knew that there was going to be hell to pay. He knew he was going to be blamed again. He was always blamed.

Squall blinked a few times before he decided to get up. He needed to get ready for that night. He figured he could pick up Zell on the way. He owed the blonde that much. The vampire quietly dressed in his original attire and made sure his Gunblade was loaded and ready. He let his thoughts go back to that dance with the girl, Rinoa Heartilly. He rememebered how she had danced around him. That really brought some strange and unusual feelings in him. He shook his head to get the thoughts out of his mind. He didn't want to be feeling anything. Not right now anyway. He silently went into his kitchen and took a packet of blood out of his fridge and then he began making his way out of his apartment with his gunblade strapped to his waist.

The car came to a screeching stop in front of The Dincht's place and Squall looked up at the dark windows. He frowned when he didn't see the lights on. But no matter, he climbed out of the car and made his way towards the door, ignoring some looks he was getting from some passerbyers. The vampire went to the door and pushed the doorbell before glancing around.

He was also spreading out his senses, to see if he had been followed. He could sense a few lycans close by but they didn't seem to know that he was there.

Finally the door opened to reveal Ma Dincht, who immediately narrowed her eyes at Squall, once she recognized him. Squall just looked right back at her, tilting his head a little to the side. He remembered Ma Dincht now. It was amazing that such a great hunter as herself had a son like Zell. Not that Squall thought bad of him at all. He just seemed to be a lot different from his mother, that was all.

"Hello, Squall. I suppose you're here for Zell, hm?"

The vampire nodded, waiting for the invitation in. He just continued to look Ma Dincht right in the eye before she moved aside. "Come on in. He's still asleep. But you can go wake him up if you want. Just don't..." Ma Dincht pulled a face as she tried to think of the most gentle way of putting it. "Just don't hurt him. Or I will have your head." A smirk formed on Squall's face before he nodded and walked through the doorway. He glanced at Ma Dincht who pointed at the stairs. "Just go up the stairs and on your right." She told him.

The vampire nodded again and did what he was told. He found Zell's room just fine, though he was quite surprised on how messy it was. He just frowned before looking at the blonde, snoring on his bed. Rolling his eyes, Squall walked over to the bedside table and turned on the lamp. The bright light immediately made Zell's face scrunch up and he lift a hand to shield his eyes.

"What the hell?!" Zell groaned.

Squall turned away from him and walked across the room. "Time to go to work, Zell. Get up." He said quietly.

Zell groaned again as he forced himself to a sitting position and he rubbed his eyes, looking almost like a child. He groaned once more before blinking several times and looking at Squall, who stood by the window looking out. "Squall? What time is it?"

The vampire only glanced over at him. "It's time to get up and go to the mansion. We have to report to Edea. She has to know about what happened last night." He said. Zell then remembered what had happened when he had left from Squall's place. He wondered if he should tell Squall about it, wondering what the reaction would be. But the vampire seemed to read his mind because he slowly turned around and eyed the blonde suspicously. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

Squall rolled his eyes as he turned fully towards Zell, who was now trying to pull on his shoes. "What were you just thinking about? I heard something in your thoughts." He said.

Zell winced a little before he looked up at Squall. "Oh, that. Well, I..." He paused rubbing the back of his neck. "I kind of ran into Rajin earlier today. He was following me in town, hoping I was going to lead him to you." He pulled another face. He could see what kind of reaction Squall was getting. He was looking emotionless as ever but there was no doubt something in his eyes. "Oh! Don't worry! I beat the shit out of him, not the other way around. Though," Zell looked embarrassed now. "I did go to jail for it. Some stupid Piggy with a star thought I was trying to mug 'em."

Squall just stared at him, his mouth had opened a little. "Okay. Let's rewind for a minute. You fought Rajin because he was following you to find me and because of it you went to jail? Is that right?" He earned a nod and it made him frown. "Then how the hell did you get out of jail?"

Zell shrugged lazily. "Laguna. He bailed me out. Some informative called him and he came over. I didn't tell him what happened last night but he knows that something happened."

Squall rolled his eyes before he started towards the door. "Let's go now."

Zell nodded as he quickly followed after him. They went downstairs to see Ma Dincht pouring lemonade into glasses. She turned and gave them both a smile. "Going already?" She asked. Zell nodded. "Yeah, Ma. We got to go."

Ma Dincht just held out the glass to her son and then held out a glass full of red liquid to Squall, who just eyed her with suspicion. "Before you go, here's something to fill your stomachs, since you probably won't have time to stop and get something to eat." She said. Zell just shrugged as he took the lemonade and gulped it down. Squall just stared at Ma Dincht, who rose an eyebrow at him. "Squall, I might not be able to read minds but I promise you I didn't do anything to your drink."

The vampire glanced down at the glass before he took it. He sniffed it for a second before looking back at her. "You're serving blood to me when you hated vampires from the beginning?" He asked in a skeptical way.

Ma Dincht shrugged. "You're Laguna's son, Squall. I don't hate you. I know you're doing what you can to keeping people safe. And I know what you've been through in your life, all right. Now just drink it before you leave."

Squall continued to just stare at her before he turned away from them and drank the blood. Once the blood was drained, he turned back, licking his lips and his fangs from the red liquid. "Thanks." He said holding the glass out to Ma Dincht, who took it and rinsed the glass in the sink before putting it down. "We better get going or we'll be late for the meeting." He said. Ma Dincht as she turned around. "Yes, you better. I know how Edea is about you being late." She looked at Zell. "You two take care now. And make sure Zell stays safe, Squall. I still don't approve of his new career." She said.

Zell only rolled his eyes and folded his arms. "Maaaa! I can take care of myself."

Squall slowly nodded as he headed towards the door. "He's not a bad fighter at all, Mrs. Dincht. He took care of himself last night during his first mission."

"Exactly what did you do last night anyway?" Ma Dincht asked folding her arms. Zell winced as he remembered what happened. Squall just shook his head. "The usual hunting down Marius thing." He said before he opened the door and stepped out into the night. Ma Dincht just pulled a face before she sighed. "Oh great. That is exactly what I don't want Zell to do." She then looked at Zell. "Go on, Zell. And be careful." She said. Zell nodded before he gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek and hurried after Squall.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: I don't own any Final Fantasy VII characters in this story, only the ones that don't really exist in the game. **

* * *

**Chapter 11.**

The car was speeding down the road, once again; Zell was gripping the seat while Squall went faster than the other cars. The radio was booming with music, not that Zell minded at all. He was just a little nervous as the car came very close to scraping another car. "Man, can you please slow down? This is a real nice car and I'd hate to see it get ruined." He said nervously. Squall smirked as he glanced over at him but slowed down anyway. He watched Zell calm down a little before he pulled onto the road that lead towards the mansion. He just stared forward, before his eyes flashed and he hit the brakes, coming to a screeching halt. Zell was lucky enough to be wearing a seat belt or he would have hit the dashboard. "What the hell?! What are you doing?!"

Squall just looked into the rearview mirror, his eyes narrowing before he hit the gas pedal and made the car turn around sharply before speeding down the road again. It was at that second another car turned and sped away. Squall gave chase though. Zell was watching wild-eyed. "Who is that?!" He gasped.

The vampire shook his head as he kicked the car into fifth gear. "They were following us. They must have been following us from your house." He said quietly as he chased the other car down another road. He then looked at Zell. "Zell, you're going to have to take the wheel."

Zell looked wide-eyed at him. "What?! Why?!" He gasped.

Squall shook his head as he sped up closer to the other car. "We have stop their car and find out who it is! We took them too close to the mansion, Zell! If they are vampire spies, the mansion will be in trouble!" He said as he sped up. Zell just stared at the vampire with wide eyes. "But...I can't take the wheel! I might crash!" He cried out.

"We have to stop that car, Zell!" Squall snapped at him as he came very close to nipping the back of the fleeing car.

Zell looked at the car before he took a deep breath. "Then get along side them!"

Squall immediately looked at him with alarm. "What?!" He asked. Zell shook his head. "I can jump to the other car and stop them that way!" He yelled. Squall just stared at him. "You could get hurt doing that! You are a human, Zell! I wouldn't get hurt as much as you would!"

"Come on, Squall! I can't drive this car like you could! If they really are vampires, they could lose us pretty fast! But you could keep up to them!" Zell said. Squall just stared at him before he slowly nodded. "All right! I'll get along side him but don't get hurt when you're jumping over to that car!" He said. Zell nodded and got ready to open the door. Squall slammed his foot onto the gas pedal to speed up before he whipped around to the side and started to speed up to the side. Zell's hand was on the handle before he frowned when he saw the driver.

It was Irvine and Selphie.

The two glanced nervously over at them before waving. Zell looked over at Squall, who looked just as confused before he shook his head.

The two cars began to slow down before pulling into the park's parking lot and came to a stop. Both Zell and Squall climbed out of the car while the other two did the same. Selphie was looking very nervous as she looked at Squall with fear.

Irvine winced as he climbed out, while holding onto his arm. "Um, hi." He muttered with a faint grin.

Zell shook his head. "Irvine, what are you doing here? Were you following us?" He asked as he folded his arms. Squall was practically glaring at the two. Irvine slowly nodded. "Sorry, Zell. But we had to. Some freaks showed up earlier today and they were demanding me to take a look around in my house! It scared the shit out of me when they pulled a gun on me. They were trying to find out where ya new friend was." He said nodding to Squall, who frowned deeply.

The vampire's eyes narrowed a little then he shook his head. "Someone came to your house today? Who was it?"

Irvine shook his head. "I have no idea. I told them to git before I called the cops on them and they said that they were cops. They forced their way into my house, knocking me upside the head." He pulled off his hat to reveal a small bump near his temple. "They searched the place and found that bloodied towel ya used to mop yourself up. And then they found the dried meat in the trash can." He shook his head as he returned his hat onto his head. "They demanded to know where you were. I was lucky enough to get away from 'em before they shot my ass."

Zell looked very concerned for his friend. "What happened after that?"

Irvine shook his head as he nodded over to Selphie. "I took the long way over to Selphie's place and we both took off. I was afraid that they might come after her. It scared the shit out of me, man. They threatened to kill me if I didn't tell 'em where the vampire was."

"You didn't tell them, did you?" Squall asked quietly.

Irvine shook his head. "Nah. I was too scared to. They thought ya were still in mah house. I made them think that you were in the basement so they only left a few guards. I managed to kick the shit out of them myself before running off." He told him.

Squall slowly nodded before looking him over as if looking for something. The cowboy gave him a nervous look before looking at Zell. "Why the hell are you scanning me?" He asked. Squall looked back into his eyes. "I'm making sure you're not hurt or you're carrying bugs."

"What?!"

Zell shook his head as he motioned for Irvine to take off his long over coat. "We've got to make sure they didn't manage to put something on ya, bud. It's the protection of the Black Circle. If the vampires and werewolves find out where the headquarters were, there would be hell." He shook his head again. "Um, Irv, since they went to see you, we're going to have to check your coat."

Irvine just gave him a wild look but then he shrugged and took off his coat and held it out to either one of them. Squall was the one who took it. He turned away from them, patting it down, checking the pockets and looking for anything. When he didn't find anything, he looked at Irvine. There was only one other choice and he didn't like it. It was Zell's turn to read his mind. He pulled a face before he nodded to Irvine. "Irvine, empty your pockets and pat yourself down."

"Say what?!" The cowboy exclaimed.

Selphie rolled her eyes before she grabbed her boyfriend's arm and made him face her. "Oh, stop being such a baby, Irvie." She said as she began to run her hands down his chest then down his legs. The cowboy grinned when her hands touched his inner thigh area. "Getting a little frisky, ain't ya, sweetheart?" He asked in a teasing way. A smirk touched Selphie's pretty features as she gave him a look before let her hand slap over his groins as if she was checking anything there. Irvine flinched a little. "Whoa! That's a little too frisky, babe."

Zell laughed while Squall rolled his eyes. Selphie then made Irvine turn around and she let her hands run over his behind and down. She paused when she felt something in his back pocket and she knew it wasn't his wallet. So she pulled it out.

It was some kind of flat metallic device with a tiny red light blinking. It was as big as Selphie's thumbnail.

When Selphie looked over at the vampire with confusion, Squall stepped forward and took it from her, looking it over. Zell stepped forward to get a good look at it too. "What is that?"

The vampire was quiet for a long moment before a growl rose deep within his throat. "It's one of Marius's tracing units. So the men that went over to your friend's place were Marius's people." He looked at the confused but surprised looks on Irvine and Selphie's faces. "And by the sound of it, they were only human spies. You couldn't have taken on a lycan by yourself. If any of them were a lycan, they could have killed you in an instant or at least hurt you very badly." He said. Irvine shrugged before he winced as he placed his hand on his forearm.

Squall immediately looked at him sharply. "Something wrong with your arm?"

The cowboy shrugged as he rubbed his sleeve-covered arm. "Nah. Just one of those dudes bit me when I tried to put him into a choke lock to knock 'em...hey!" He exclaimed when Squall quickly stepped forward, grabbing his arm and shoved the sleeve above his elbow.

Even Zell was looking alarmed. "Oh god! Someone bit you?!" He gasped.

"Yeah, so what? Some dudes are prissy biters! Ouch! What the hell are you doing?!" Irvine exclaimed as Squall grabbed the medical tape wrapped around his arm and ripped it off, probably taking some of the hairs with it. He looked down at the bite marks on his arm. The marks weren't that deep but it was no doubt that the biter had gotten through the skin. It was slightly bleeding but wasn't that bad. However, Squall reacted anyway. He stepped back with a sharp breath and wide eyes as he looked up into the cowboy's eyes. Even Zell was looking as alarmed.

"Uh...Sq-Squall, please tell me that's not what I think it is! Please!" He begged.

"What? What are you so freaked out about?" Selphie asked as she stepped forward and helped Irvine rewrap the wound.

"Irvine! You got bit by a werewolf! Do you even know what that means?!" Zell exclaimed. Both Irvine and Selphie looked at him in alarm. They were not counting on hearing that. "A wh-what?!" The cowboy asked. Squall slowly nodded. "I've seen that kind of bite several times in my life while working with the Circles. That is the bite of a fledgling werewolf. They've marked you."

Irvine looked quite shaky to hear that. He looked down at Selphie, who was giving him a scared look. "What...what does that mean? I'm not...I'm not..." He couldn't say it.

Squall only nodded. "Yes, Irvine. You are. By the next full moon, you're going to change dramatically. I should be killing you right now so that it won't happen. But I won't. You helped me last night and for that, I don't kill people. We'll just have to take you to Edea and see what she says about it." He then pulled a face as did Zell.

"She's gonna be pissed, ain't she?" The blonde asked.

The vampire blew out a sigh as he looked down at the tracer unit. "Oh yeah. She's going to definitely blow fire when she finds out about this." He looked back at Irvine and Selphie. "Get in my car. We'll go together to the mansion. But you better swear right now that you will never tell anyone about its location. Not one soul." He said. Selphie slowly nodded. "Can...can you help Irvine?" She asked nervously.

There was a long silence as Squall and Zell looked at each other. The blonde was looking hopeful that there might been a positive answer to that. But the other slowly shook his head. "No. Once you've been bitten, there's no way to stopping it. You'll just have to deal with it until the Council can decide what to do."

"Squall, they wouldn't kill him now that he's a..." Zell couldn't finish.

Squall shook his head. "No idea. But there's a great possibility that they might want to keep him around. If he sides with the circle, he'd be our first werewolf." He said. Zell's eyes lit up. "Just like you. Your their first vampire." He said now looking at Irvine, who was looking confused. The vampire only nodded. "Yeah. That's the only chance he has to stay alive. I'll see what I can do in making the council see that too. But it's all up to Edea." He then turned towards his car. Zell nodded to his two friends. "Irv, Selphie, come on. Leave your car here. We'll bring you back for it." He said. The two nodded and hurried after them, while the cowboy was pulling on his over coat.

The two in the back seat were very amazed by the sight of the mansion. They had never seen such a big house before. And the security system was very impressive. Of course the dogs barking at the car wasn't exactly a thrill especially when one of them jumped up at window Irvine was next too. That pissed Squall off. He stopped the car, rolled down the window and snarled at the dog, which immediately flinched and ran back to the laughing guard. "Sorry, Mr. Leonhart!" He called to him.

"Yeah, just keep that damn leash on him! You know that Edea doesn't like them off the leashes!" Squall growled as he drove on towards the mansion.

When they reached the mansion, the four climbed out, getting some very questionable looks from guards. Irvine was rubbing the bite wound nervously. And the snarling dogs barking at him weren't helping his confidence. Squall just placed his hand on the cowboy's shoulder, pulling him towards the front doors. "They know, don't they?" Irvine asked nervously.

The vampire nodded as he lead the other three towards the doors. "Yeah. They know all right. Dogs have the very same senses a werewolf does. They can always tell if someone has been bitten. Soon your senses will start kicking in. It might scare you at first but you'll get used to it."

"Yeah, right." The cowboy muttered as he followed Squall, Zell and Selphie up the stairs.

The four walked through the doors, the two new comers looking just as surprised as Zell had by the sight of the foyer. "Oh, wow." Selphie said as she looked around. "This place is beautiful."

Squall ignored her as he looked around, noting that there were some very annoyed yet surprised hunters looking at them. He noticed Laguna talking to Ellone, who was looking over at them with surprise. He looked at the other three, motioning for them to follow him. Zell immediately followed while Irvine and Selphie hesitated then followed.

"Squall, what is this?" Ellone asked as they approached. Laguna turned around before frowning in confusion at the two strangers.

Squall shook his head as he looked over at the nervous two. "This is Irvine and Selphie. They helped Zell save my life last night."

Laguna tilted his head and folded his arms with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, so you're actually going to tell me something for once. I know something happened because Zell mentioned something but he wouldn't tell me what. What happened last night? And what do you mean saved your life?" He asked. Squall shook his head with a moody look as he folded his own arms. "Marius was at the club as we thought he would be. I wasn't ready to facing him. You were right, dad."

Laguna caught on pretty quick and he dropped his hands. "Damn it, Squall. I knew that it would happen! What did he do to you this time?!" He asked in a foul way.

"If you're going to over react, dad, I'm not going to tell you." Squall said stubbornly.

Laguna pulled a face but Ellone put her hand on his arm to silence as she looked Irvine over. Her eyes were full of concern. Mostly on his arm. "Uncle Laguna, I think it's best if we escort Squall's friend to Dr. Kadowaki. He's hurt." She said. That surprised Irvine and Selphie. Zell looked impressed. "Wow! Not only you scan minds, you can tell if someone's been..." He didn't get to finish because Squall nudged his arm making him wince and rub his arm. "Not here."

"All right. What happened now?" Laguna asked in an accusing way.

Squall met his concerned dark eyes with his dead blue ones. "He's been bitten, dad."

Immediately, Laguna's face fell and his arms fell to his sides as he looked at Irvine with alarm. Irvine swallowed hard not liking the look on anyone's faces when they were looking at him. Without another word, Laguna nodded. "All right. Come on." He said turning away. Immediately everyone followed. "Elle, you better go find out where Kiros is. Tell him to get his ass in the infirmary."

Ellone nodded as she hurried off on her own.

"So, you know what Squall's talking about, right?" Zell asked. Laguna didn't even look at him as he led the four teens to where the infirmary was. "Yes. I get the idea. When Squall has that kind of look in his eye, I know exactly what he means." He then turned his head and looked at the cowboy. "When were you bitten?"

Irvine pulled a face before lazily shrugging. "Earlier this mornin'. Some freaks came looking for Squall. When I tried to escape, one bit my on the arm before passing out because I had a choke lock on him." He said.

Laguna sighed as he looked at Squall next. "Squall." He said in accusing way.

"Don't worry about it. I will explain everything while Dr. Kadowaki is cleaning him up." The vampire replied. Laguna nodded still looking seriously at his son. "Yeah, you better." He told him in a warning tone.

The group walked to the back of the mansion before walking into a large medical room. There were several beds here and there with medical instruments everywhere. A few medics were here and there, a few visiting with other hunters who had been injured. One of the doctors happened to be a woman, who immediately looked over at the group entering the room. With a faint smile, she walked over and greeted them with a wave of her hand. Her eyes curiously looking Zell, Irvine and Selphie over.

"Good evening, Laguna, Squall. Have you fed already?" She asked, giving Squall a lecturing look. "Laguna told me what happened the other night. Must I always have to tell you to come see me for blood packets?" She asked seriously.

Squall rolled his eyes and looked away. But Laguna shook his head. "Don't worry about it right now, Doc." he turned around and motioned for Irvine to step forward. "We got a problem here. He's been bitten by a werewolf and he needs medical attention." He said. The doctor looked even more serious as she held out her hand for Irvine's arm. The cowboy hesitated but then let her take his arm to look over.

The doctor pushed up his sleeve and looked at the bite marks. "Hm. He's been bitten by a werewolf who was still in his human form. Am I correct?" She asked.

Irvine nodded, looking quite amazed. "Yes, ma-am. I didn't even know there were such things as werewolves in the first place." He said. The doctor looked squarely at him for a very long moment before she looked at Laguna. "I take it these three are not with the circle." She said. Laguna shook his head before placing a hand onto Zell's shoulder. "No. Zell, here, is our newest hunter. His friends, however, got involved the hard way." He said looking at Irvine and Selphie. "I suppose Marius's men went to our young friend's place, hunting for Squall, who has yet to explain to how they know about the circle and himself." He said in a very accusing way. Squall just pulled a face and looked away.

"Well, he can explain while I'm cleaning up his friend." Doctor Kadowaki said now leading the cowboy over to a medical bed and made him sit down. "Take off your shirt and tell me your name." She told him. Irvine glanced over at Zell and Selphie, the blonde just giving him a nod to do it. The cowboy began unbuttoning his shirt, still looking very uneasy. "My name's Irvine Kinneas." He told her.

Dr. Kadowaki nodded as she turned away from him, to the computer screen built in the wall. She pulled out the keyboard from a slab in the wall and began typing. After a minute, she nodded as something came up. It was an entire record on Irvine. That really surprised the cowboy and his girlfriend who had been watching. "Whoa. What's that?" He asked. The doctor just gave him a smile as she started to scan through the record. "Our information systems are top notch. We can find any medical, criminal, dental records. Anything we want." She then looked at Squall, raising an eyebrow. "Well, Squall? Are you going to start explaining or not?" She asked. Laguna and Zell both smirked at one another while Squall looked annoyed. Selphie just giggled as she watched her boyfriend take off his shirt. So the vampire started explaining everything. He left out a few things that didn't need to be said, like the dance with Rinoa Heartilly. Zell immediately caught on to the reason and it made him grin. Laguna was not looking happy either way. The sound of what Marius did to Squall just made him glare.

They were soon joined by Kiros and Ward, both looking very alert. But they weren't alone. They were being followed by Edea. When Squall saw her, he groaned inwardly and only Zell heard him. Even he looked uneasy. The look on Edea's face was clear enough that she was not in a very happy mood at all.

The Head Sorceress walked over, her cat like eyes looking Irvine over then Selphie, both looking very uneasy. She then looked at Squall, her eyes narrowing. "Someone want to explain what is going on?" She asked impatiently.

Laguna glanced at Squall before stepping towards Edea. "Last night's mission was half a success, Edea. Squall and Zell located the girl at the bar but not un-noticed. Marius was at the bar as we thought." He shook his head. "He was too strong for him. Marius nearly killed him but Zell and his friend, Rinoa Heartilly saved his life. With the help of these two." He motioned to Irvine and Selphie. "They're friends with Zell and they helped Squall."

Edea's eyes looked at the bite marks in the cowboy's arm and she made a very disappointed but annoyed sound. "And what happened to him?" She asked. Irvine looked uneasily at Zell, who glanced back with a shrug. Squall just stepped closer. "Marius's stupid dogs tracked my scent to his house somehow. I don't know how he survived it but he did. He was bitten." He said quietly.

The Head Sorceress looked at him with a dark look. She slowly shook her head before looking back at Laguna. "And why haven't you shot him yet to end his suffering?" She asked impatiently. Irvine jerked his head around at that. "Wha?!" He winced when the doctor pressed a rag soaked with antiseptic against the bite marks. Even Selphie looked alarmed to hear. She even started forward to say something in her boyfriend's defense but Laguna caught her by the shoulders. He shook his head at her before looking at Edea. "He's going to join the Circle, Edea. Like Squall, he's our first werewolf."

Edea narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. She didn't seem too impressed with the news at all. In fact she looked highly annoyed. "Oh really? And exactly who decided that, Laguna?" She asked in a scornful way.

Laguna just shook his head as he dropped his hands from Selphie's shoulders. "Come on, Edea. He's just a kid for Pete's sake." He ignored the scowl he got from Irvine. "He was trying to help Squall. Yeah, he got bit by a werewolf and he'll become one in a week but because of it, he'll become a very powerful ally. Just like Squall. And Kiros would help him out trying to get used to his new abilities." He said nodding to his best friend, who stepped forward with his arms folded over his chest. "I know you don't like Squall because of what he is but everyone knows that you do like him because of what he chose to do. He's doing his best to keep this place safe as well as protecting those people. Blood sucker or not."

"Thanks, dad." Squall said sarcastically.

Laguna winced and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, Squall. I didn't mean it like that."

Edea, however was trying to force back a smile anyways. That had seemed to change her mood just a little. Her cat like eyes then went back to Irvine. She was quiet for a long time before she stepped forward. "Jen, what do you have to say about this young man?" She asked nodding to the computer.

Dr. Kadowaki glanced over her shoulder at the screen before going back to cleaning Irvine's wound. "Well, actually I agree with Laguna. Young Mister Kinneas here has quite the record, himself. He doesn't have any criminal records, no delinquency or anything like that." She started wrapping Irvine's arm, still not looking up. "And as far as I can see, he seems to be a very good marksman. He's does have a record for hunting."

Zell immediately decided to speak up on his friend's behalf. "He's one of the best sharp shooters you'll ever meet." His face flushed a little when every eye turned on him. He almost slapped a hand over his mouth to shut himself up but he couldn't help it. His friend's life was on the line because of what happened to him. "He can fire almost any gun that you might have. He has the best eagle eyes in all of Galbadia. He has made the Galbadia Hunter's special edition." He wasn't sure but he could have sworn he saw a smirk of satisfaction on Squall's face before the vampire turned his head away to look back at the Head Sorceress.

Edea was quiet for another long moment before she turned away. Her eyes then looked at Selphie. "And the girl?"

"...um..." Zell pondered. He wasn't sure if Edea was directing that question to him.

Dr. Kadowaki turned away from Irvine at that exact second and began typing something on the computer before something came up. There was a picture of Selphie on the screen and several paragraphs but Zell couldn't see what they said. The doctor turned back. "She's a magic user, Edea. And quite the hacker from what our sources are saying." She said smirking towards the blush on Selphie's face. "You've always said that we needed more computer technicians. Especially when some of our Hunters can't seem to get along with the computers." The doctor said now smirking at Laguna, who stepped back and waved a hand in the air.

"Hey! Don't look at me! I already told you what happened! The computer was mocking me! It deserved getting its face punched in!" Laguna said in his own defense. Squall groaned and face palmed while everyone else laughed. Edea shook her head before looking at the two strangers. "Well then. I suppose we'll just welcome our two new comrades. That is, if they really are joining the Black Magic Circle." She said raising her eyebrow.

Irvine was allowed to stand up now and place his shirt back on. His eyes met Selphie's before looking at Zell, who just shrugged. "Uh...well...if it means keeping myself alive, then I guess I'll join."

Selphie nodded. "Sure. It sounds like a lot of fun saving innocent people." She said in quite a cheerful tone.

Some of the Hunters smiled but Squall shook his head. "Doing this type of work isn't suppose to be fun. It's serious stuff. If you're going to join, make sure you really want to join. Because you could get killed if you don't know what you're doing." He said quite seriously.

Laguna rolled his eyes as he folded his arms. "Even though Squall has a point, he sure likes to put it in the dumpy way." He said. Squall ignored him. He just shook his head as he just looked at Irvine and Selphie in a very serious way. "You better think very hard if you really want to join the Black Magic Circle. Because it is a dangerous job to do. Doing it can get you killed." He held up a hand when Irvine opened his mouth. "And we won't kill you if you decide not to join us. But Ellone will have to mind wipe you. She does have the power to do that. You'll still be a werewolf though. We can't do anything to change that. So if you don't choose to join us and we mind wipe you, just to let you know. When you do change, and you start terrorizing the city when you don't even know what you are doing, I will kill you. Or," The vampire reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a gun. He stepped forward and held it out to Irvine, who took it hesitantly. "You can do yourself and your girlfriend a favor and do it yourself."

Irvine looked down at the gun with almost a painful expression on his face before he looked at Selphie, who was looking just as pained. Even Zell looked worried about what Irvine would choose. They knew that this was going to be a very tough choice to make.

"Is there anyway I can control the beast inside?" The cowboy asked quietly.

Squall didn't say anything but he did look towards Kiros, as did Laguna. The tall thin black man looked back at them before stepping forward and nodded. "Yes. With a lot of practice, you can learn how to control your new werewolf trait and you can just transform by will. But it will take time and patience." He said. Irvine glanced back at the gun then at Selphie. "Would I hurt I someone if I didn't?"

No one said a thing for a minute before Zell nodded. "Irve, you become a werewolf. What do ya think?"

Irvine swallowed hard before nodding. "All right. I'm in. I just don't want to hurt anyone and I don't want to die. Consider my sharp shooting skills at your command." He told them. Edea then tilted her head, with a sly smile growing on her face. "Exactly how good are you? Zell said that you're the best. But I'm not sure. We have some very good sharp shooters already." She said nodding towards Laguna, who only shrugged off the compliment.

Irvine grinned slowly before looking at the same grin on Zell and Selphie's faces. "Well, then. Why don't I just show ya?" The Black Magic Circle members just looked at one another before the vampire nodded. "Show us."

**Kablam!**

Irvine fired the shotgun with ease and speed. He was impressing the Circle members with his skills, while Selphie and Zell cheered him on. He had fired at least ten times and was obliterating the targets to pieces. The shotgun pellets were ripping the papers to bits.

As soon as Irvine was checked over again by the doctor, the Circle members took the two new comers down to the Utility Room and let the cowboy have a few shots at the targets to show off his skills. And by the looks on everyone's faces, except Squall's of course, they were very impressed. Laguna was grinning like an idiot and his two best friends were nodding with approval. Edea was just watching with interest but it was clear by the look on her face that she was even impressed.

Finally Irvine stopped shooting and he placed the shotgun against his shoulder, whistling at his own work with the paper. "Wow. I'm good." he drawled. Everyone smiled, of course, the vampire didn't. He just rolled his eyes.

Edea just shook her head as she just studied the ripped up target. "I must admit. You are very impressive and you do seem to have a very sharp eye." She looked at Irvine before nodding. "Very well, Irvine Kinneas. You're our newest Hunter. You will work with Kiros Seagille most of the nights though, trying to control the monster inside you." She then looked at Selphie. "As for you, Miss Tillmitt, you may just as well start working with the computer technicians. We'll test your fighting abilities later. However, we have a meeting that will be starting soon. So let us head upstairs." She told them. Everyone nodded and started to follow the Head Sorceress out of the Utility Room.

"Don't worry, Irvine." Kiros said as he stepped up to the cowboy's side. "You'll be in control in no time."

Irvine just shrugged as he laid the shotgun down on the table before walking with everyone. "I hope so. 'Cause, I don't want to hurt anyone." He said with a frown. Laguna just smiled over at him. "That's why Edea's letting you live, Irvine. Because you choose to be good."

Zell just looked at Squall, who was being very quiet as they slowly went up the stairs. "Hey, Squall." The vampire looked at him. "...um, nevermind."

Squall only frowned before he looked away. "Yes, Zell. The White Magic Circle is going to be here. And perhaps your friend." He said in a very quiet voice. Zell only shrugged. "Yeah. About Rin. Why didn't you tell Laguna all the details of last night?" He asked smirking. The vampire gave him a cold stare, almost making him shiver. Squall was quiet for a long time as they stepped out into the Main Hall. "I would never hear the end of it from him. Believe me." He said quietly before walking a little faster.

As everyone started to file into the meeting room, Zell had spotted Rinoa standing with General Caraway. She was wearing her favorite outfit of the black tank top and shorts with her blue cardigan and arm warmers. Her long black hair with copper highlights was pulled back in a loose bun and she seemed to be very bored. She wasn't the only one that looked bored. There was another young woman standing right beside her. A woman Zell knew he had seen before.

Squall, on the other hand, knew who she was. He had known her for quite a while, since he joined the Black Magic Circle. If he wasn't a vampire, she would only be a year older than he was. But since he was, she was younger than him. She was a very lovely blonde young woman by the name of Quistis Trepe and she was almost like an messenger or an ambassador in the White Magic Circle. During the unity of the two circles, she had been the one who had been sent to meet with Edea about the pacts that the circles would make. And that was how Squall knew her. The thing was, Quisitis was human, but not entirely. She was also a shape shifter and a Blue Sorceress. She used Blue magic instead of white. She was pretty much the only one though.

"Hey, Rinoa!" Zell couldn't help but say. Even Irvine and Selphie were smiling when they saw her.

Rinoa immediately turned around when she heard her name before smiling when she saw Zell, Irvine and Selphie. She walked away without even excusing herself from her father's side and over to them. "Zell, Irvine, Selphie! Hi!" She said cheerfully. She didn't notice Squall at first as he stopped walking from behind the three friends. "What are you two doing here?" She asked Irvine and Selphie. Irvine just shrugged. "We kinda just joined the whole Magic Circle thing." He pulled a face before pulling his sleeve up to reveal the bandage. "And...uh, just getting this werewolf bite fixed up."

Rinoa gasped softly as she looked at his arm before giving him a sympathedic look. "Oh, you were bite by a werewolf? When did this happen?" She asked worriedly. Zell shook his head. "Earlier today. Some of Marius's guys tracked Squall's scent to his place. Don't know how they did it but they did." He said nodding to Squall.

Finally Rinoa looked at the vampire, who had his arms folded over his chest. She frowned a little but then shook her head. She was clearly still annoyed with him for calling her a Caraway but she decided to cut him a break. He hadn't known that she liked to be a Heartilly and plus he had been too tired at the moment. But now that he was here, alive and well, she couldn't help but smile at him.

"Oh, hello, Squall." The blonde, Quistis Trepe spoke up as she stepped over to the small group.

Everyone looked between the two, wondering how they knew each other. Squall just glanced at Quistis before looking away. "Quistis." He said quietly. Quistis only smiled before she looked the other three over. "I don't believe we know each other." She held out her hand, first to Selphie. "Hello. I'm Quistis Trepe, Blue Sorceress, shapeshifter." She told them.

Selphie just nodded. "Hey there. I'm Selphie Tillmitt. Just human and hacker." She earned a light smile from the blonde, who shook Irvine's hand next. "Irvine Kinneas." The cowboy pulled a face. "I guess a newly turned werewolf and sharpshooter."

Quistis just frowned for the slightest second before shaking her head and smiling to Zell next. "Hiya! The name's Zell Dincht. I'm a human and a hunter. And I like kicking the shit out of bad guys."

The blonde just laughed as she dropped her hand and looked back at Squall, who only glanced towards Rinoa before looking towards the room. Rinoa just shrugged as she looked at her friends. "Quistis, here, is a friend of mine." She said as if she read her three friends's mind. "We've known each other for a very long time now." She then frowned as she looked at Quistis. "Hey, how do you know him anyway?" She asked nodding towards Squall.

Quistis and Squall glanced at one another before looking back at Rinoa. "I've known Squall for quite some time now. I think we first met when I started training to be the ambassador for the White Magic Circle. My instructor had brought me here to meet with the Black Magic Circle and we just met. Squall's very quiet though. He doesn't like to talk too much and likes to say whatever quite a bit."

The vampire scowled while the others laughed. "Instead of telling my life's story, Quistis, we do have a meeting to be going to." He growled before walking towards his chair in the back.

Rinoa crinkled her nose as she watched him go but then she looked at Quistis who was silently laughing. "Is he always like that?"

Quistis gave her friend a smile. "Sometimes. You'll get used to it. Squall just doesn't like to be teased." She then shook her head. "But he's right. The meeting will be starting soon so we should probably find our seats." She said turning and walking towards a chair. Rinoa and Selphie followed after her while Zell and Irvine went over to sit by Squall. The vampire only glanced at them but said not one word.

Finally the meeting started. Edea had stood up and began making same old announcements that usually bored Squall to death. The lights were already starting to flicker but this time Edea went on ignoring him. But after awhile she frowned in his direction. "Squall, this is a very important meeting and you might want to listen through it. Now stop that." She told him.

All eyes turned onto the vampire, who just looked away and stopped making the lights flickering. He did see the confused looks on Rinoa and Selphie's faces but chose to ignore them. Irvine on the other hand just leaned over to Zell. "Did he do that?" He whispered.

Zell just half shrugged, half nodded. "He does it sometimes when he gets bored."

"Well, I'm getting bored too. And I don't even understand a word that she's even saying." Irvine told him.  
Squall tilted his head towards him. "It's mainly just about how many vampires and lycans that have been acting up. Which is quite a lot." He told him in a very quiet tone.

As if Edea had heard, she lift her head higher. "As for further news, I'm afraid to say that there had been sightenings of Sorceress Adel's people and they have just been recently acting up." She reported. Several people in the room immediately started talking at once. Even Squall's attention had been perked up. He sat up straighter in his chair with a deep frown on his face. Zell and Irvine glanced at one another then back at the vampire next to them.

"What?! Adel?! But that's impossible!" Someone said.

"How?! I thought she was dead!" Another said.

Edea shook her head as she held up a hand for silence. Slowly, the outbursts died down so she could continue speaking. "As most of you, I am too surprised to hear about Adel's people. And if her followers are out, then she is too. We don't know how Adel survived the last encounter but she is alive and she has been freed from the frozen prison that we put her into. Our informatives died giving us the reports about her. They didn't live long. All we know is that Adel is currently in hiding somewhere in Esthar and her people have been seen. So as you all may know, we need a team to go to Esthar." Several people looked at one another, but no one said anything.

Zell, however, looked at Squall with interest. "Hey, Squall. Who's Adel?" He asked. Irvine looked over with interest as well.

The vampire just glanced at the two before shaking his head. He looked back towards Edea, watching her for a minute. "She's a very dangerous Sorceress. A Black Sorceress. She's one of the most powerful ones too. She is not one we want to be messing with, but if we don't, she will try and use her power to harming people." He made a low growl deep within his throat as he just stared up at Edea. "And she does not like other Sorceresses. Especially the Sorceresses in the Circles."

"What about vampires?" Irvine asked, probably for Squall's sake.

There was a long silence before Squall half shook his head and half shrugged. "From what I've heard, she's got mixed feelings about vampires. But I know for a fact that she does not like Marius or his clan. When I was still with Marius, I heard him say a few things about Adel. He does not like her at all. And I think it's actually her who got him hating Sorceresses in the first place."

Zell folded his arms and leaned back into his chair, a deep frown on his face. He was thinking many things now. Exactly who was worst, Adel or Marius. And as if Squall read his thoughts, he tilted his head towards the blonde. The look on his was rather serious as he met Zell's eyes but then he shook his head. "You've seen Marius in action and you know how bad he can be. But Adel……well, you ever meet her, prepare to meet Hyne when you're dead. Adel is definitely a whole lot worst than Marius." He explained.

"This Adel," Irvine began tipping his hat back. "Exactly how bad is she?"

Squall leaned back into his chair as he cupped a hand around his mouth. He was trying to think of exactly how he was going to explain this. But then he looked up at Edea, who was trying to answer a few questions. "Edea," He said as he stood up. Every eye turned towards the vampire. Edea frowned but nodded for him to go on. "What is it, Squall?" She asked, stoically.

Squall shook his head as he looked around the room at everyone else before meeting her eyes again. "I'm getting readings from many that many of these people don't know Adel's story." He told them.

There was a pause before Laguna nodded as he folded his arms and dipped his head lower. "He's right, Edea. All of the older folk like us knows the Legend of Adel. But the younger generations don't. Squall only knows about it because Ellone told it to him a long time ago." He shook his head. "I think it's time for a little story."


End file.
